Cam Newton's relationship with the media continues to grow colder.
The Carolina Panthers quarterback left a news conference abruptly Wednesday after being asked a question regarding whether the team has the ability to consistently get chunk plays on offense.
A reporter asked: "You know, big plays, big chunk plays kind of get to that energy that I think that you're talking about. Does this offense ... do you think you guys have the wherewithal to do that consistently week in and week out?"
Newton then rolled his eyes and said "next question" before waiting a few seconds and saying "thanks" as he walked away from the podium. He answered questions for more than nine minutes before leaving.
The Panthers released a statement a short time later to multiple reporters in response to what happened:
"Cam didn't intend to be discourteous toward any specific media member. In his mind, after answering questions for nine minutes, he had fulfilled his obligations."
Last week, Newton chose not to meet with reporters as mandated, prompting an NFL spokesman to confirm to NFL.com that the league would look into the matter. Earlier this month, Newton apologized for using words that he said were "extremely degrading and disrespectful to women" when he responded to a question asked by Charlotte Observer reporter Jourdan Rodrigue that "it's funny to hear a female talk about routes."
The Panthers have struggled with plays of 20 yards or more this season. According to NFL Research, Newton is averaging 7.9 air yards per attempt this season -- the lowest average of his seven-year career. He's also only averaging 3.1 passing attempts per game of 20-plus yards compared to 4.5 from 2011-16.
It appears, for now, that Newton isn't interested in talking about the Panthers' shortcomings when it comes to big-yardage plays.
