Former Notre Dame star player catches a major stray thanks to Cam Newton's drama with the Carolina Panthers
A former Notre Dame quarterback caught a major stray this week thanks to the ongoing drama between Cam Newton and some of his former Carolina Panthers teammates. In case you missed it, Newton angered a few of his former teammates in Carolina when he said during an appearance on The Travis Hunter Show that he […]
A former Notre Dame quarterback caught a major stray this week thanks to the ongoing drama between Cam Newton and some of his former Carolina Panthers teammates.
In case you missed it, Newton angered a few of his former teammates in Carolina when he said during an appearance on The Travis Hunter Show that he went into a locker room full of "losers" after he was selected by the Panthers with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Several former Panthers have clapped back at Newton's comments, including five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Steve Smith.
The Athletic's Joseph Person spoke to a couple of former Panthers players this week to get their take on Newton's comments.
And one of those players, former Panthers cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, casually threw some shade at former Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen while defending Carolina's pre-Cam Newton locker room.
Munnerlyn, who played for the Panthers from 2009 to 2013, referred to Clausen as "Checkdown Jimmy Clausen".
“For him to say that we was losers was a slap in the face,” said Munnerlyn. “This was a team who was two years removed from playing in the NFC divisional round against the Arizona Cardinals. We lost a couple pieces. We had Checkdown Jimmy Clausen at quarterback and we had a bad year…For him to say losers was crazy.”
Clausen was a second round pick by the Panthers in the 2010 NFL Draft. He played in 13 games (with 10 starts) as a rookie for Carolina in 2010, passing for 1,558 yards, three touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
It wasn't a great situation for Clausen as a rookie. And while the Panthers improved in 2011 with Newton as the starter, the franchise still endured a losing season, going 6-10 after starting the season by losing five of their first six games.
Despite Clausen's struggles in the NFL, he had a great final season at Notre Dame in 2009, passing for 3,722 yards, 28 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He also added three rushing touchdowns.
Clausen certainly could've played better as a rookie in 2010, but he was far from the only reason why Carolina went 2-14 that year.
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