Cam Newton was pleased with the progress made after he and other select Carolina Panthers players met with team owner Jerry Richardson on Tuesday.
Carolina was one of the only teams in the league that didn't demonstrate during the anthem on Sunday, aside from Julius Peppers, who stayed in the locker room during the rendition. Richardson later released a statement on Monday saying he feels "politicizing the game is damaging" before inviting players to his home for a discussion on social issues.
One day after Richardson's statement, cornerback Captain Munnerlyn told Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer that Panthers players wanted to do more but were "scared" to protest on the field due to the owner's strong political beliefs and North Carolina "being a military state."
Newton characterized the subsequent meeting with Richardson as "extremely productive and a step in the right direction for us as an organization," and did not rule out a team demonstration this Sunday, according to NFL.com.
"We met with Mr. Richardson to just kind of discuss certain things that were on our minds and on our hearts from different perspectives ... the different people that were over there, they come from different backgrounds and have different views," Newton said Wednesday. "And one thing about it, we expressed those views, and more importantly, that everybody is entitled to their own thought process."
Though Newton is one of the most popular and influential stars in the league, he said he doesn't feel pressure to take action during the anthem. Still, he took time to voice his respect for Colin Kaepernick and others who've protested.
"My hat goes off to the Colin Kaepernicks of the world - he's made the ultimate sacrifice, and I respect that wholeheartedly," Newton continued. "And I can't let a moment go by without shedding light to that. A person who does have the talent to play, a person that should be in this league, but I feel he isn't getting his just due because of his views. But that's a legend right there."
