Patriots

N’Keal Harry spoke with Cam Newton over comments made by his trainer

Harry's trainer said that Newton's accuracy is partly to blame for Harry's slow development.

N'Keal Harry separated himself from comments made by his trainer about Cam Newton. Maddie Meyer / Getty Images

December 18, 2020

N’Keal Harry went on the defensive after his trainer suggested that Cam Newton is part of the reason why Harry has struggled this season.

Speaking with reporters Thursday, Harry said that he cleared the air with Newton and separated himself from the remarks made by his trainer, Rischad Whitfield.

“Yeah, I just let (Newton) know, I just made sure he knew that whatever was said — I don’t know what was said — but nothing came from me,” he said. “Rischad hasn’t said anything like that to me. It doesn’t sound to me like something — that exact statement is something he would say. I don’t know if it was taken out of context or what happened, but I don’t know. That conversation never came from me, and it was never anything that I was even aware of until I saw it on social media.”

In an interview with Henry McKenna of Patriots Wire that was published Wednesday, Whitfield said that Newton’s accuracy has played a role in Harry’s slow development.

“We’ve got a new quarterback. We’ve got to put some of that [expletive] on Cam,” Whitfield said. “Cam hasn’t been the most accurate this year. Like if [N’Keal] had Tom Brady, Tom Brady would’ve fed him. But we’re back there with Cam, and Cam’s getting acclimated to the offense, too.”

“It’s a big deal coming from Tom Brady to Cam Newton,” he added.

Whitfield claims that he was misquoted, but McKenna has stood by his reporting. ForTheWin.com’s Charles McDonald listened to the audio of the interview and verified McKenna’s reporting.

The Patriots’ 2019 first-round pick hasn’t put up spectacular stats this season, catching 29 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns so far. Harry isn’t blaming Newton though for his problems and even shared how Newton’s helped him this season.

“He’s been great,” Harry said. “I said it earlier in the season: He’s really gone out of his way and really made a conscious effort to make sure that he’s doing everything he can to help me and just kind of mentoring me throughout this whole season. He’s been a huge help to me up to this point.”