As New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton tries to prove to himself and the NFL that he’s still got it after multiple injuries and being released by former team the Carolina Panthers, his children are having to go without him for a while.
The 31-year-old has proudly proclaimed himself to be a father of seven. He has four children with his ex-girlfriend, Kia Proctor, and also sees her daughter from a previous relationship as his own. He also has a son with IG model La Reina Shaw, and claims her son from a previous relationship as his own as well. As the football season gets into full swing, he said in an interview with WEEI Sports Radio, a New England-based station, that he chose not to bring his kids along for the ride because he wants to be focused and handle business.
“This whole decision, and not to keep beating a dead horse, this is a business trip for me,” he said. “The fact that I don’t have none of my children here in Boston with me and the fact that I haven’t been able to see them on a regularity, that’s angry in itself for me. I wake up every morning missing the hell out of my children and knowing that if I don’t do what I am supposed to do, then this could be good riddance for me. That is as serious as I am making it and that’s as serious as it is. Not only to mention, I have so much to prove. I could care less about other critics, but more or less I have so much to prove to myself.”
When asked if he thought his family would join him in Massachusetts at some point, he said eventually it will happen, but he couldn’t say when.
“Sooner or later. When you have young children and COVID pandemic, it’s kind of hard. So, through it all, you can’t FaceTime them enough because their attention is similar to mine,” he said, laughing. “They don’t know how to handle the phone and things like that. Through it all, that’s one of many different things you just wake up to and ask yourself, ‘What’s your purpose?'”