Cam Newton: NFL star sparks outrage for saying it's 'funny to hear' a female reporter ask a sports question

When Charlotte Observer reporter Jourdan Rodrigue asked Newton about route running, the former league MVP smiled and said: “it’s funny to hear a female talk about routes”

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has sparked outrage after ridiculing a female reporter who asked a question about one of his team-mates at a press conference, saying that it was “funny to hear a female” ask an American football question.

When Charlotte Observer reporter Jourdan Rodrigue asked Newton about wide receiver Devin Funchess' route running – a tactical element of the sport – the former league MVP smiled and said: “it’s funny to hear a female talk about routes. It’s funny.”

After Newton's comments, he proceeded to answer Rodrigue's question. But his remark prompted outrage and Rodrigue later complained about his attitude towards her on social media.

“I do not think it is ‘funny’ to be a female and talk about routes. I think it’s my job,” she wrote on Twitter.

“I spoke with him after and it was worse. I chose not to share because I have an actual job to do today and one he will not keep me from.”

Carolina spokesman Steven Drummond later said in a statement that Newton had a conversation with Rodrigue after the news conference ended and expressed regret for his remarks.

But Rodrigue released a statement through the Charlotte Observer via email saying that Newton did not apologize when they spoke after the news conference.

She said she “was dismayed by his response, which not only belittled me but countless other women before me and beside me who work in similar jobs. I sought Mr. Newton out as he left the locker room a few minutes later. He did not apologize for his comments.”

Drummond said the Panthers “strive as a department to make the environment for media comfortable for everyone covering the team.”

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Wednesday night in a statement that Newton's comments “are just plain wrong and disrespectful to the exceptional female reporters and all journalists who cover our league. They do not reflect the thinking of the league.”

Newton was named the NFL's MVP in 2015 (Getty)

Mike Persinger, the executive sports editor of the Charlotte Observer, said Newton's comments were “unfortunate and out of line.”

“The question Jourdan asked during the news conference was a good one, like countless other questions about football strategy and nuance she has asked in the course of doing her job,” Persinger said.

(Additional reporting by AP.)