CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cam Newton apologized in a Twitter video post Thursday night for sexist comments made to a female reporter.
"After careful thought, I understand that my word choice was extremely degrading and disrespectful to women," the Carolina Panthers quarterback said at the start of the nearly two-minute video. "To be honest, that was not my intentions. And if you are a person who took offense to what I said, I sincerely apologize to you."
On Wednesday when Charlotte Observer reporter Jourdan Rodrigue asked Newton about wide receiver Devin Funchess' route running Wednesday, Newton laughed and said, "It's funny to hear a female talk about routes. It's funny."
The NFL released a statement Wednesday saying that Newton's response to the question was "just plain wrong and disrespectful to the exceptional female reporters and all journalists who cover our league."
Dannon, the maker of Oikos yogurt, cut ties with spokesman Newton on Thursday. Company spokesperson Michael Neuwirth released a statement saying it was "shocked and disheartened" at the former league MVP's behavior and comments.
AP Sports Writers Barry Wilner and John Nicholson contributed to this report.
For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL