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Cam Newton, who has played quarterback for the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots in the NFL, has opened up about his failed relationship with Shakia Proctor, who is the mother of four of his children.
The 32-year-old spoke about his decision not to marry Proctor in an open and honest conversation on his YouTube series, Funky Friday, with Instagram fitness model and influencer, Brittany Renner.
He spoke candidly about the decisions he made when he was in a relationship with Proctor and said he believes he wasn't ready to commit to being a husband. When Renner asked why Newton did not marry Proctor after already having children together, he responded:
"Honestly, that's a great question. The thing is, that person that I was while we were having children together, I couldn't be the best husband, I wasn't prepared to be a husband then."
"When me and Kia were together, we were both young. The person she was when I met her, it wasn't the person she was when I left her," Newton continued.
"When I met Kia, and I say this protecting her, she wasn’t the one to be like, ‘I want to be married.’ I was more so the person; my parents been together for 36 years. I know what marriage looks like: the ups, the downs, the trials, the tribulations.
"I seen Kia really evolving into a woman where her standards were, ‘I ain’t just no baby mama,’ and when she kept putting pressure on me I was like, ‘I don’t know if this is what I really want'.
"I was on Temptation Island. A football player, young, ‘no’ is not even in my vocabulary. I just found myself in this downward spiral. Did she deserve better? I would humbly say, yes, she did."
In the video above, you can watch the conversation between Newton and Renner, specifically from 31:20 for the discussion about marriage.
Newton has seven children and has posted about them both together and individually on his Instagram, previously on Father's Day but most recently on Christmas Day.
How does 2022 look for Cam Newton and the Panthers?
After re-signing with the Panthers on November 11, 2021, the quarterback went 0-5 as the starter, filling in for the injured Sam Darnold and being replaced as soon as Darnold was fully healthy.
One thing is for certain: the Carolina Panthers need to figure out their quarterback situation, and Newton could potentially be in their consideration. Both general manager Scott Fitterer and head coach Matt Rhule spoke highly of the 2015 NFL MVP back in January, and the door could still be open for a return to Carolina.
