I’ve heard the horror stories. Professional athletes make millions, fame fades, and suddenly they’re broke. But Cam Newton didn’t crash—he just came down from an altitude most people don’t reach.
On an episode of his “4th & 1 with Cam Newton” podcast last year, the former NFL MVP reacted to a viral clip from the Fox reality show “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.” In the segment, filmed during the physically brutal competition, Newton talked about adjusting to life after football.
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He rolled the clip, laughed, then addressed them directly. “First of all, this is TV, ladies and gentlemen…” he said, explaining that the entire conversation was not broadcast. What viewers didn’t see, he said, was the deeper context — the transition from NFL stardom to real-life responsibility.
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“I have eight children,” Newton said in the original material. “It hurts to know that I can’t give like I once did. It hurts to think that I’m Superman, but in reality, I’m just a man.”
He said what he said
On the podcast, Newton explained exactly what he meant. During his time in the NFL, he made more than $20 million in a single season – spread over 17 weeks. “I was making a million dollars in a week,” he said.
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But replicating that kind of income after football? A different story. “We haven’t created anything yet that can deliver a million dollars a week,” he said. He clarified that doesn’t mean he hasn’t signed a million-dollar deal — “but in a week?” he added, pointing out the week and what that pace looked like given the endorsements.
He called it “a vulnerable moment where I was honest.” And he still believes. “I still believe in that, where it’s like, me, I can’t give like I once did.”
Newton then shared a quote that stuck with him for years: “I heard this quote and it always resonated with me – I’d rather live the rest of my life comfortably like a prince than splash around like a king.”
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Real estate, no regrets
Newton strongly rejected the assumption that financial problems follow every former athlete. Most of the money, he said, went into asset appreciation. “Every property, every business that I own, I own the land,” he said, referring to his real estate portfolio and businesses like his cigar lounge and restaurants.
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He added that poor fiscal planning — not flashy purchases — is what really destroys athletes. “Don’t go broke just because you have these great yachts and houses,” he said. “You’re screwing up because you don’t understand taxes.”
And despite the headlines? “I’d be a fool to be broke right now,” he said.
The critics are talking. Cam Builds.
He’s acutely aware of the noise online — the comments about his family size, his money, his lifestyle. But Newton didn’t back down. “That’s the investment,” he said of his eight children. “Mine and yours were just two different pieces.”
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He said all his children are in private school. Live with intention, drive a 2018 pickup truck, and spend deliberately. “I never spent more than I earned,” he said.
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Now, he’s focused on building a second career: content, partnerships and ownership. “I’m trying to put myself in a position to make $20,000 a week in content… $100,000 a week. It’s a good week. But it’s not a million yet.”
That gap, he said, was not about being broken, but about scale. The NFL paid big, fast and short. Life after it does not.
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Why the rest of us might need a plan
When athletes retire, the money suddenly stops. For most people, it just slows down – and that’s exactly why financial planning matters.
Nobody gives you $20 million in 17 weeks. And that’s the advantage. You know what’s coming. You can plan around it.
Whether you’re navigating tuition, caregiving, or the slow transition to retirement, a financial advisor isn’t about chasing wealth, it’s about stability. Because when the income finally drops, the last thing you want is to be surprised by it. Cam Newton made $1 million a week. Most of us won’t. But we still have to figure out how to make it last.
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This article Cam Newton, 36, says he used to make $1 million a week in the NFL, but now it hurts that he can’t provide for his 8 kids the way he did, ‘I’m just a man’ originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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