Watch CBS News

Teenager Who Heckled Cam Newton Apologizes

BOSTON (CBS) -- The teenager who heckled Cam Newton at a football tournament over the weekend is apologizing to the quarterback. Jseth Owens is asking for forgiveness after getting into a spat with Newton on the sidelines on Sunday.

The exchange took place during a 7-on-7 tournament in South Carolina, with Newton serving as coach for one of the teams. In a clip that went viral on Sunday, Owens taunted Newton by shouting that he is "a free agent" who is about to be poor, while also referring to the veteran quarterback as an "a --." Newton fired back, telling Owens that he has no problems with money and then questioned where the boy's parents were. Newton later clarified that he wanted to have a talk with Owens' father.

Owens shared his apology on Twitter on Monday morning.

"First & for most I want to express my deepest apologies to Cam Newton, my entire org, & my coaches for my actions at the 7v7 tournament this past weekend," Owens said in his Tweet. "I did not intend for it to get as far as it did! First I would like to start off by saying my parents never taught me to [treat] people disrespectful. As a football player I let my competitive side get the best of me & it was a huge miscommunication. It was in the midst of the moment & I realize now how a lot of you took it as disrespectful.

"I never meant to humiliate & let anyone down," he continued. "I am very appreciative for 7v7 to even allow me to be apart of the community & allowing me to be apart of the team I am currently on. I realize this can dictate my future as a young man having very big dreams/goals but I will not allow this to stop me from getting where I need to be. So again, I apologize and hope I can be forgiven."

Newton will be a free agent in March after a disappointing 2020 season with the New England Patriots.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.