Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Another youth sports event, another brawl amongst adults.
At least shots weren’t fired, which isn’t always said when similar scenes unfold around the country. Thankfully, it appears no one was seriously hurt Sunday during an incident that went viral. But the fight between former NFL star Cam Newton and a couple of football coaches at a 7-on-7 tournament in Atlanta was nonetheless disturbing, raising a series of questions.
Why were they beefing? Who got physical first? Where was security?
And the big one: How did Newton’s hat stay on the whole time?
Sometimes we laugh to keep from crying and joke to keep from worrying.
I know violence is a serious matter. Too many videos show melees that lead to mourning, moments that escalate from wordplay to gunplay, perhaps with punches in between. There’s nothing funny about that.
But this wasn’t that.
This was Newton giving cartoon vibes, holding one dude in a headlock while rag-dolling another one. It was an episode from pro wrestling where partners double-team a guy while the ref looks away. But this script had Newton whupping both foes, leaving them grateful once onlookers broke it up.
And his freaking feathered hat never moved.
The 2015 MVP is not only an eccentric dresser but also roughly 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds. He appears nearly as big in clothes as he was in pads when he somehow made comparably sized players look smaller. We don’t know why brothers TJ and Steph Brown fought Newton, but we understand thinking it’d take two to make the thing go right.
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According to numerous reports, the brothers knew because they worked for Newton’s C1N group and remained cordial after leaving to start TopShelf Performance in 2022. The Browns claim that Newton started Sunday’s incident, with emotions…
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