Ron Rivera on Cam Newton: Sometimes things are better left unsaid

Former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton created a stir by saying he entered a “locker room full of losers” when he arrived as the franchise’s No. 1 overall pick in 2011.

That was also Ron Rivera’s first year as Carolina’s head coach, with the club coming off a 2-14 season in 2010. Rivera said in a recent interview with Joe Person of TheAthletic.com that Newton could have been more tactful with his words.

“Sometimes things are better left unsaid,” Rivera said. “And I’d loved to have seen him be a little more diplomatic. Just because a lot of those guys on that 2010 team became some of those guys that went to the Super Bowl in 2015. It’s unfortunate he made the comments and now he’s just gotta live with them and own up.”

Rivera was Carolina’s coach from 2011-2019, going 76-63-1 — highlighted by a 15-1 2015 season that finished with a loss to the Broncos in Super Bowl 50. He then was Washington’s coach for four seasons, going 26-40-1 with the franchise with one postseason appearance.