In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Cam Newton took to Instagram to spread an uplifting message.
Nine years ago Cam Newton was arrested for stealing a laptop from another student at the University of Florida, where he initially attended college and played football for two seasons. The multiple felony charges Newton faced were ultimately dropped upon completion of a pretrial program.
While the charges were dropped, Newton transferred in January of 2009 to Blinn College in Texas for one season before attempting a comeback on the Division-I level at Auburn University. He won back-to-back football national championships at Blinn (NJCAA) and Auburn (NCAA).
Deciding to forego his senior season, Newton was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers, where he went on to become NFL MVP in 2015.
On the Anniversary of his mugshot, Newton shared how thankful he was for his second chance, and the lesson of hope that others could find in his experience.
“If I can do it with my circumstances, surely you can do it and be whatever you want to be with hard work and persistence,” Newton wrote.
It’s definitely a story worth sharing. No setbacks are permanent and every situation is a lesson to learn from.