“Never spent that type of money in my life,” Cam Newton reveals his horrific rookie night dinner story

Former NFL QB Cam Newton reveals the story of his rookie dinner where his teammates made him incur an exorbitant bill.

“Never spent that type of money in my life,” Cam Newton reveals his horrific rookie night dinner story

Cam Newton had never spent so much money in a single night before his rookie dinner. (IMAGE: Keith Allison)

The rookie year is the experience of a lifetime for any athlete, it is the first year in which the athlete gets to live their dream of playing at the highest level. As a rookie in the NFL, players are still processing the fact that their dreams have come true, however, their debut year is not filled with just sunshine and rainbows, there exists a tradition that has been followed across all teams since time immemorial, one that rookies dread but also do not have an option but to abide by.

YouTube video

It is the infamous rookie dinner, the night when the rookies ought to pay the tab for their entire team. The restaurant is usually chosen by vets or the majority of the team. The total cost of the bill usually runs up into tens of thousands, which is a BIG amount for an athlete in their rookie year.

Cam Newton’s net worth is $75 million and he is also the former quarterback for the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots. He shared his rookie dinner story on the latest iteration of his Funky Friday Clips, Cam was the top prospect in his draft class and it was no surprise that he went 1st overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. He signed a 4-year rookie deal worth $22 million after being drafted.

FS Video


Related: Jets HC Robert Saleh labels Aaron Rodgers’ TIRING wish list as a ‘silly narrative’

Cam Newton’s rookie dinner cost relatively lesser than that of his peers

Cam Newton.
Cam Newton got off rather easy while paying for his rookie dinner. (IMAGE: GETTY Images)

So, how did Cam Newton’s rookie dinner go down exactly? Here’s how: “At the end of the year, we had a rookie dinner, and I remember that because…they close the restaurant. They got some big a** steaks. I don’t even drink but that’s a big a** wine bottle and champagne…why the hell they getting all this stuff. And then they sent me that bill? Oh My Goodness.”

Cam was in shock after he saw that bill, he had never spent an exorbitant amount of money on anything in one night let alone just on dinner. He went on to elaborate, “When you getting that type of money, you still are mentally broke. The tab, I think it was upwards of $17,000. I ain’t never spent that type of money in my life… but then I started hearing other stories like $50,000, $60,000, and this that and third, oh shoot I got away with murder.”

He did get away with it, in contrast to Cam Newton’s rookie night bill, Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles had to pay $20,000 at his rookie dinner and Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys had to shell out nearly $55,000 for his rookie dinner. While $17,000 is not a small amount, it is not the worst especially considering the fact that Newton was the first pick in the draft that year.

The NFL Rookie dinner tradition is one that has often been criticized by vets, two-time Super Bowl champ Torrey Smith compared the practice to a form of college frat hazing stating, “This dinner sets a precedent for a lifestyle that the majority of players cannot afford to do and shouldn’t be living anyway.” While it does seem that way, this tradition is one that is unlikely to stop anytime soon as it is just a one-time expense after all.

In case you missed it!

Do follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter