Former Hootie & the Blowfish lead singer Darius Rucker watched Cam Newton torch his beloved South Carolina Gamecocks 56–17 in 2010, but he never thought the quarterback would cut it in the NFL.
He was dead wrong, and he's saying sorry.
Born in South Carolina and a Gamecock alum, Rucker found himself apologizing to the Panthers' rookie sensation while performing in Charlotte, N.C. this week.
"I was one of those who when he was coming out of college, me being a Gamecock fan and knowing what he did to us and the SEC last year, I was a hater," Rucker told The Charlotte Observer.
"I'll never forget his first (regular-season) game. I told a buddy that Cam is going to get blown up. I would like to apologize to Cam Newton. I was dead wrong. He's a helluva player."
Rucker's well-known for being a long-suffering Miami Dolphins fan, singing the national anthem before multiple games and performing his hit, "I Only Want To Be With You," at Dan Marino's retirement bash.
It's unclear if the 22-year-old Newton has even heard of Hootie & the Blowfish, but we doubt he lost much sleep over Rucker's dig.
