David Newton-Xavier Legette row: ESPN reporter asks regrettable question to Panthers star; faces fire calls

ESPN reporter David Newton, who covers the Carolina Panthers, asked Xavier Legette a regrettable question for which he's facing flak online.

ESPN reporter David Newton, who covers the Carolina Panthers, is facing calls for his firing from fans after a question he asked wide receiver Xavier Legette.

David Newton issued an apology for the question he asked Xavier Legette. (X/@DNewtonespn)

Speaking to the 24-year-old player ahead of the game against Dallas Cowboys, Newton asked Legette about his parents. When the player shared that his father used to be a Cowboys fan, Newton quipped “I take it he won't be this week.” Legette at this time looks crestfallen and replies ‘for sure’ his father isn't a Cowboys fan any more.

The entire line of questioning was slammed as insensitive by many because it is common knowledge that Legette lost his parents early on. His mother passed away after a long battle with breast cancer just after his freshman year of high school. His father died in March 2019, suffering a heart attack, fewer than two months before Legette graduated high school.

The wide receivers' coach Donald Brown recalled speaking to Legette after he began his NFL career. “I was like, ‘Only if your mom and dad could be here.’ He said, ‘Coach, they’re here'," he told The State.

Given the personal tragedy, the question from Newton did not go down well with fans. “Just resign. That was terrible. You write about XL before,” one person said. The matter snowballed enough that a podcast for Panthers fans only also raised cries for Newton to be fired.

“The Panthers community really needs your help. We need to get rid of David Newton from our beat. He has been awful for YEARS and espn and the Panthers organization hasn’t done anything about it.,” they wrote on X.

“Please take 30 seconds to the petition under this tweet. David Newton’s disrespectful questions and words have gone on for way to long,” they added. The petition has received 1412 verified signatures at the time of writing.

David Newton apologizes

Newton, meanwhile, has issued an apology on X, writing “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. There is no excuse for my forgetting a hard moment in X’s life. I have nothing but respect for Xavier. It was an innocent mistake on my part, but a hurtful one, and I hope he will accept my apology.”

However, many were not buying it, with one person replying “ou didn’t forget his dad died. You wrote a story about it. There is 0% chance you are telling the truth here. Gross. You made a comment that his dead dad probably wouldn’t be a Dallas fan this week. Just an unnecessary thing to say. Now lying makes ur true colors indisputable.”