Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton reluctantly waded into matters of race relations and social justice Wednesday, a day after an officer-involved shooting in Charlotte led to violent protests that included injuries to 16 policemen, fires set in the middle of I-85 and looting at a Walmart.
Newton said he wanted to learn more about the killing of Keith Lamont Scott in the University City area north of Charlotte and the protests that followed.
But Newton decried the spate of police violence across the country, including the 2013 death of Jonathan Ferrell, a black man who was shot and killed by Randall Kerrick, a white Charlotte-Mecklenburg officer.