Cam Newton opens up about disappointing season, shoulder surgery on YouTube video

Cam Newton kicked off his new career as a YouTuber on Thursday, releasing both a teaser video and then a longer first "vlog" entry detailing his recent surgery and emotions surrounding the Panthers season.

It's highly stylized; you'd expect nothing less from Newton, but he offers some good insights into how he handled both the disappointment of a promising season gone awry as well as a hinky shoulder.

First, Cam discussed why he played through his shoulder injury rather than taking himself out of the lineup earlier on.

Newton gets introspective when discussing not just the physical pain of the season, but the emotional toll it took on him and his family. The frustration of not being able to play his best coupled with the misery of watching the season go to shambles turned him into a sullen guy behind the scenes. A sullen guy determined not to let anyone in public see his true emotional state.

As the season progressed, and in the last couple years really, there's been a more amplified discussion about whether Newton's best years are behind him; whether he peaked in 2015 and if it's a slow ride downhill now for the Panthers star.

Cam said he hears it all. Previously, he's said that he either discards or entirely ignores the opinions of those who don't personally matter to him, but here he takes an entirely different attitude.

We also get to go behind the scenes with Newton as he undergoes his shoulder surgery. Thankfully, surgeons said they didn't find damage in his shoulder to the extent they expected. That lines up with reporting that Cam's rehab is going swimmingly and how he hopes to be full speed by Training Camp.

It also brought us these moments of joy, as Cam is asked to count down from 100 while his anesthesia kicks in.

Newton promises plenty of personal access through his new channel, so if you're a Panthers fan, it's likely something you'll enjoy.