A high school football player went viral for all the wrong reasons Sunday after heckling New England Patriots free-agent quarterback Cam Newton at a 7-on-7 tournament.
The player, Jseth Owens, a junior linebacker and wide receiver out of Perkiomen Valley (Collegeville, Penn.) High School, per TMZ, apologized for the interaction.
“First & for most I want to express my deepest apologies to Cam Newton, my entire org, & my coaches for my actions at the 7v7 tournament this past weekend,” Owens wrote on Twitter. “I did not intend for it to get as far as it did! First I would like to start off by saying my parents never taught me to people disrespectful. As a football player I let my competitive side get the best of me & it was a huge miscommunication. It was in the midst of the moment & I realize now how a lot of you took it as disrespect. I never meant to humiliate & let anyone down. I am very appreciative for 7v7 to even allow me to be apart of the community & allowing me to be apart of the team I am currently on. I realize this can dictate my future as a young man having very big dreams/goals but I will not allow this to stop me from getting where I need to be. So again, I apologize & hope I can be forgiven.”
Cameras caught Owens insulting Newton, noting he’s a “free agent” and saying he’ll soon be “poor.”
Newton addressed the situation Sunday and posted a different video of the encounter.
Here was Newton’s full statement:
“!!👀WHAT YOU DIDN’T SEE👀!!
“I see there are a lot of things festering out there that I see have took place over the weekend. To the natural eye you see me asking the young man ‘Where is your dad at?’ but to me, talking to a child with everyone looking does me no good!! So instead of speaking or going back and forth with a child I wanted to have a man to man conversation with his father.
“People often forget as athletes that are often seen on TV, loved by most hated by some, people often forget we are real dads, real friends, real brothers, real sons, real human beings, etc!! With that being said, when I attend tournaments all across the country with my all-star team, I have given my time, my energy and my expertise to these kids coming into our program for over 11 years and that is not what people want to hear or even want to see…
“People want to see me arguing with another young man and to see me get in my feelings… but the truth is, I impact kids lives in a positive way. Make no mistake about it I allow kids to realize there ‘OUT’ by using there football talents to get them to the next level and in most cases… OUT OF THE HOOD!! So with that being said, have yourself an unbelievable rest of your day.”
Newton has coached all-star teams in 7-on-7 tournaments throughout his playing career. Some of his alumni include Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
