Newton broke down why Sanders waited to make this argument.
Cam Newton Explains Why Deion Sanders Didn’t Push for a Salary Cap Until Now originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Cam Newton is never afraid to speak his mind. During a recent episode of his "4th&1" podcast, the former NFL MVP turned sports media personality offered a bold take on why Deion Sanders is now calling for a salary cap in college football.
“It may be the unpopular opinion. Yeah. But was Prime worried about this when his sons was there? I would say no,” Newton said. “You want to know why? Because he wasn't going to let nobody just handle his sons anyway.”
Newton pointed to the NIL gold rush surrounding Deion’s sons, Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders, during their time at Colorado. As a father, Newton believes Deion had full control over those negotiations and made sure things were done fairly.
“If somebody would have brokered a $1.7 million deal, he knew at the end of the day, it would have been fair,” Newton said. “It would have been what he would have deemed as a father to say, ‘No, bro, we're not giving you no 30%. Like, bro, we going to give you 3% or we going to give you a flat fee.’ That’s what he would have did for his son.”
But now, with his sons no longer part of the Colorado program, Newton says the landscape has changed for Coach Prime.
“He can’t do that with other people’s sons,” Newton said. “So with that, this is where college football is now.”
Sanders made headlines at Big 12 Media Days this summer by calling for a salary cap in college football, claiming that the financial side of the sport is getting out of control and creating inequality between programs. Critics were quick to point out that Sanders didn’t raise these concerns during the peak of his sons’ NIL earnings.
Newton’s perspective offers a personal and nuanced view into why Sanders may be changing his tune now, not because he’s suddenly against big NIL deals, but because he no longer has the power to manage how those deals are conducted personally.
Related: Urban Meyer Gives Blunt Reality Check to Deion Sanders After His Salary Cap Demand
Related: Cam Newton Claps Back at Paul Finebaum Over Controversial Remarks
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports