Cam Newton weighs in on Charlotte shooting after denying race issue previously

Cam Newton finds himself in a no-win situation on matters of race these days, something he mentioned on Wednesday when asked about the shooting death of Charlotte-area resident Keith Lamont Scott by police.

“I’m in a position now where if I say something, it’s going to be critiqued,” the Carolina Panthers quarterback said, “and if I don’t say something, then I’m flawed.”

He’s right — both sides can parse Newton’s words any way they want, and he typically is a lightning rod for criticism no matter what he says. After being open on some racial issues in the past, he has become more reserved and guarded most recently. The GQ interview that came out in August shocked many when Newton essentially said that America didn’t have a race problem.

On Wednesday, he did, however, offer his candid (if not carefully chosen) thoughts about what was happening in his community — a shooting death that has grabbed the national spotlight.