Cam Newton Sponsors Begin To React To His Comments; Future With Brands Up In The Air

Dannon will continue to pay Panthers QB Cam Newton through the length of its endorsement deal, but he "will no longer appear in ads promoting" the yogurt company's Oikos brand, according to A.J. Perez of USA TODAY. The move comes after sexist comments Newton made on Wednesday toward a female reporter. Newton had "served as a spokesperson for Dannon’s Oikos line of Greek yogurt" since '15, appearing in "television ads among other marketing efforts on behalf of the brand." PepsiCo, which owns Newton sponsor Gatorade, called the comments "objectionable and disrespectful to all women and they do not reflect the values of our brand." Apple-owned Beats by Dre "did not immediately respond" with a comment, while Under Armour "did not have an immediate comment." Forbes estimated that Newton takes in about $13M a year in endorsements, "roughly equal to his NFL salary." Only Saints QB Drew Brees ($14M) takes in "more endorsement money among NFL players" (USA TODAY, 10/6). In Charlotte, Rothacker & Peralta note Newton had a "deal with Belk, the Charlotte retailer that carries his fashion line." A company spokesperson said that the contract ended in January and there are "no plans to renew it" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/6). USA TODAY's Christine Brennan writes Dannon's move to bench Newton marks the first time she can remember a company "reacting that quickly to sexism." Brennan: "Racism, yes. But sexism?" (USA TODAY, 10/6).

ISSUING AN APOLOGY: In Charlotte, Scott Fowler notes Newton "apologized Thursday night for his word choice" that he used during Wednesday's press conference with a "108-second video via Twitter." Newton said his word choice was "extremely degrading and disrespectful to women." He added, "The fact that during this whole process I’ve already lost sponsors and countless fans, I realize that the joke is really on me." The apology "did not mention" Charlotte Observer reporter Jourdan Rodrigue by name, but "ended with a blanket apology to all women" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/6). Panthers coach Ron Rivera on Thursday also said Newton "made a mistake" with his conduct (ESPN.com, 10/5). On Long Island, Bob Glauber writes it might have been the "intense public relations fallout that prompted an athlete consumed with his image to relent and apologize in a video posted on his Twitter account." It could have been the prospect of "actually losing money as the result of his gratuitous remarks," or it is possible he "finally realized he was wrong" (NEWSDAY, 10/6).

JUST CAN'T SAY THAT: ESPN's Damien Woody prior to Newton's apology said it is "unacceptable" for the "face of a franchise in a professional setting to come out and say something like that." ESPN's Trey Wingo: "He's normally very careful about what he says in those situations" ("NFL Live," ESPN, 10/5). NBCSPORTSBAYAREA.com's Ray Ratto wrote, "Newton lost much by giving an answer to a question that had no risk at all and was even providing praise for a teammate" (NBCSPORTSBAYAREA.com, 10/5). NFL Network's Willie McGinest said of Newton, "All the problems exist at the podium, so you've got to do a better job at the podium" ("NFL Total Access," NFL Network, 10/5). In N.Y., Kristie Ackert writes this is something Newton is going to have to "fight against for the rest of his life" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/6).