ESPN reporter David Newton has publicly apologized for a question he asked Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette during a media session. The incident occurred as the Panthers prepared for their Week 6 game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Newton had asked Legette if he grew up as a Cowboys fan. Legette replied, “Yeah, when I was little. My daddy was a Cowboys fan.” Newton then followed up by saying, “I take it he won’t be this week,” referring to Legette’s father. Legette responded, “For sure, he ain’t a Cowboys fan no more,” before moving on to another question. The question caused immediate backlash because Legette’s father, Anthony, passed away in 2019 from a heart attack.

Newton had previously written about this personal tragedy in a profile piece on Legette last year. Following the criticism, Newton posted an apology for his hurtful comment on X. “I have been in touch with the Panthers and have also reached out to Xavier Legette to apologize for my question Thursday regarding his late father’s Cowboys fandom,” Newton wrote. “There is no excuse for my forgetting a hard moment in X’s life. I have nothing but respect for Xavier.”

He added on how, “It was an innocent mistake on my part, but a hurtful one, and I hope he will accept my apology.”

Legette experienced the loss of both parents during his high school years. His mother, Anita, died of breast cancer during his freshman year, and his father died during his senior year. The Panthers are 2-3 this season and coming off a 27-24 comeback victory over the Miami Dolphins. That game saw Legette scored his first touchdown of the season on a 7-yard reception. He’s currently in all six catches for 39 yards.

Meanwhile, Newton has covered the Carolina Panthers as a dedicated reporter for ESPN since 2013. His profession can put him in such situations where slip-ups like this, though unintended, can happen. For Newton, this isn’t new. But this time, despite his apology, the incident has drawn sharp criticism from fans and observers online.

Fan backlash over David Newton’s insensitive remarks

Many have questioned how a reporter in his position could be unaware of such a sensitive topic about a prominent player on his beat. “Actions speak louder than words. And the proper response would be to resign,” one fan wrote.

This call for accountability stems from a documented pattern of fan dissatisfaction with Newton’s work. A petition has already been created against Newton from August 2024 that garnered more than 2000 signatures, calling for his credential revocation. ​

“You wrote this last year and you talk about in this article how both his parents passed away. You mention it twice in the article,” a fan mentioned. It referenced Newton’s own ESPN feature from July 17, 2024, titled “Passion for horses inspires Panthers rookie Xavier Legette.” In this article, Newton explicitly wrote about both of Legette’s parents’ deaths, stating:

“Neal said Legette sounds just like his dad, Anthony, who died of a heart attack in March of 2019, four years after the receiver’s mom, Anita, passed after a long battle with cancer.”

This makes Newton’s claim of “forgetting” particularly problematic since he had researched and written about these tragedies in detail just over a year earlier.​

“YOU WROTE A F*IN ARTICLE ABOUT THEM. HOW DO YOU FORGET,” Obituary records confirm both parents’ deaths: Anita Reaves Legette died on July 14, 2015, at age 50, and Anthony Legette died on March 25, 2019.

Newton had access to and used this information in his comprehensive profile piece, making his forgetfulness claim implausible to fans who circulated screenshots of his own reporting.​

“Nah man, you do stuff like this every week. Hang it up or move to another team. The fanbase and players are done with it.”

This reaction draws from documented complaints about Newton’s reporting patterns, stating Newton “doesn’t spell anything correctly.” How he gets stats and the players’ positions wrong all the time. None of his reporting is insightful, as it’s mostly just copied or paraphrased from other reporters, as mentioned by fans.

A fan highlighted, “Never apologized until you got called out. Be better – you knew!”

The incident occurred during a Thursday media session, but Newton’s apology wasn’t posted until the evening on October 11, 2025, only after the video went viral and faced widespread criticism. “Necessary apology but if you actually want to do the right thing you need to resign or at least move to a different team,” another mentioned.

“This is a sorry a** apology. You don’t apologize then make an excuse for your lack of judgment. You base your journalism off shock value and click bait.”

Fans took issue with Newton calling his comment an “innocent mistake” in his apology. The 2024 petition against Newton specifically cited his approach to “handling of sensitive topics” and noted it “often reflect a lack of respect for the ethical standards that are essential in journalism.” Newton’s coverage has been problematic for years.

And now fans are furious, wanting an appropriate action.