Cam Newton Realizes He’s 'Not as Strong' as He Thought He Was After Struggling onSpecial Forces: 'I'm Flawed'

Mar. 15, 2025

Cam Newton.Photo:FOX

FOX

Cam Newtonis giving his all on the current season of Fox’sSpecial Forces: World’s Toughest Test— but he’s “not as strong” as he thought.On the Wednesday, Jan. 22 episode of the reality competition series, the former NFL player realized after the chemical warfare challenge — in which recruits were tasked with unlocking a laptop from a safe after their gas masks were removed with noxious CX gas present — that he didn’t have the strength required to complete it.“When I came into the NFL, like the pressure living up to what people’s expectation was, it was extremely hard. Now it’s like being away from football, I’m trying to find out a lot about who I am now,” Newton said in a confessional after the challenge.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“I found out a lot about myself, realizing I’m not as strong as I thought I was. There’s so many different dimensions of life that I’m not good at, and it was exposed today, and I knew that I was flawed, I’m saying I need to work on myself,” Newton told fellow competitor, actress Kyla Pratt.During the Jan. 13 episode of the show, Newton, 35,traveled on a speed boatwhile a helicopter hovered overhead, and he hurled himself from the boat to grab onto the helicopter’s landing gear.Cam Newton.FOXDespite the incredible dangers of the task, the other celebrity contestants watched in shock as he jumped and managed to pull himself up from the landing gear into the helicopter.Newton also previously shared on the show that he is dealing with feelings of inadequacy, due to no longer being able to provide for his eight children financially the same way he did when he was in the NFL.“I’m going into a different phase of my life that’s going to require a different form of myself,” Newton said. “Being in the NFL, everyone knows there’s a large sum of money that comes to you in a short span of time and being away from the game for three years, those checks don’t came in the same. Like I got eight kids.““It hurts me knowing that I can’t provide like I once did. It hurts thinking that I’m Superman, but in reality, I’m just a man,” he added.Newton is father to Chosen, Camidas, Cashmere, Caesar, Jaden, Sovereign-Dior, Shakira and a daughter born last year.

Cam Newtonis giving his all on the current season of Fox’sSpecial Forces: World’s Toughest Test— but he’s “not as strong” as he thought.

On the Wednesday, Jan. 22 episode of the reality competition series, the former NFL player realized after the chemical warfare challenge — in which recruits were tasked with unlocking a laptop from a safe after their gas masks were removed with noxious CX gas present — that he didn’t have the strength required to complete it.

“When I came into the NFL, like the pressure living up to what people’s expectation was, it was extremely hard. Now it’s like being away from football, I’m trying to find out a lot about who I am now,” Newton said in a confessional after the challenge.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“I found out a lot about myself, realizing I’m not as strong as I thought I was. There’s so many different dimensions of life that I’m not good at, and it was exposed today, and I knew that I was flawed, I’m saying I need to work on myself,” Newton told fellow competitor, actress Kyla Pratt.

During the Jan. 13 episode of the show, Newton, 35,traveled on a speed boatwhile a helicopter hovered overhead, and he hurled himself from the boat to grab onto the helicopter’s landing gear.

Cam Newton.FOX

Despite the incredible dangers of the task, the other celebrity contestants watched in shock as he jumped and managed to pull himself up from the landing gear into the helicopter.

Newton also previously shared on the show that he is dealing with feelings of inadequacy, due to no longer being able to provide for his eight children financially the same way he did when he was in the NFL.

“I’m going into a different phase of my life that’s going to require a different form of myself,” Newton said. “Being in the NFL, everyone knows there’s a large sum of money that comes to you in a short span of time and being away from the game for three years, those checks don’t came in the same. Like I got eight kids.”

“It hurts me knowing that I can’t provide like I once did. It hurts thinking that I’m Superman, but in reality, I’m just a man,” he added.

Newton is father to Chosen, Camidas, Cashmere, Caesar, Jaden, Sovereign-Dior, Shakira and a daughter born last year.

source: people.com