'I Got a Statue Too': Cam Newton Recalls ‘Unfortunate Opportunity’ to be the Patriots QB Following Tom Brady’s Departure

Few accolades, if any, are as great as having a statue erected in your honor and likeness, as few of us will ever get to know the feeling of that privilege. For Tom Brady and Cam Newton, however, that’s an honor that both men can now relish in for the rest of their lives.

The former face of the New England Patriots was recently immortalized in bronze outside Gillette Stadium, ensuring his place in both sporting and American culture for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, Newton felt the need to remind folks of the fact that he was able to accomplish the same much sooner thanks to his time at Auburn University.

“I got a statue too,” Newton ‘pettily’ exclaimed during the latest episode of his self-titled 4th & 1 podcast. Although he didn’t shy away from the fact that he was incapable of filling Brady’s shoes, either.

“There’s no denying the impact of Tom Brady. I had the unfortunate opportunity to try to be the quarterback after someone as great as he was.”

Of course, it’s a bit easier for Newton to reflect on Brady’s career than others, especially when you consider the fact that he was one of the few signal callers who ever managed to win more often than not against the seven-time Super Bowl champion.

After it was mentioned that Brady doesn’t have a losing record against any of the NFL’s 32 franchises, including Newton’s Carolina Panthers, the former regular-season MVP made sure to take a moment to remind his viewers of another accolade of his, a winning head-to-head record against the GOAT himself.

“Go back and look at the stats,” Newton implored. Upon doing so, the record does in fact show a 2-1 record in favor of the Carolina legend.

His first victory against Brady came back in 2013 during a Monday Night Football showcase, one that saw Newton produce 271 of the Panthers’ 300 total offensive yards. It would take another four years before they would cross paths again, and even though the game was buried in the mix of the 1 pm slate, Newton and Brady were still able to put on an instant classic.

A last-minute drive from Newton proved to be enough to p ut Graham Gano in position for a 48-yard game-winning field goal as time expired, boosting Newton to a 2-0 record against Brady. Unfortunately, their last meeting was nowhere near as exciting.

Newton was benched halfway through the contest in favor of Sam Darnold as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cruised to a 32-6 victory that day, blocking Newton from becoming just the third quarterback in NFL history to retire with a perfect record against Brady. Nevertheless, he’s clearly content with winning two out of three, as it still gives him access to some of the most exclusive bragging rights in all of professional football.