Cam Newton criticizes how 'Swamp Kings' portrayed Chris Leak, names players Florida documentary missed

Before he was a Heisman Trophy winner and national champion at Auburn, Cam Newton played two years at Florida. His freshman year was 2007, when Tim Tebow won the Heisman Trophy, and the Gators won their second national championship in three years during his sophomore season in 2008.

That meant Newton was in Gainesville for some of the teams portrayed in “Swamp Kings,” the latest documentary released by Netflix this week. He didn’t make an appearance, but he took to TikTok to share some thoughts about the four-part “Untold” series.

One of the issues Newton had wasn’t with someone with whom he played. Chris Leak was Florida’s quarterback from 2003-06 and led the Gators to the first national championship of the Urban Meyer era during his senior year. Tebow got some looks that season, but fully took the reins one year later after Leak signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent.

In the documentary, though, Newton didn’t feel Leak got his due.

“Some of the things I did not like about the documentary was how they played Chris Leak, in my opinion,” Newton said. “I was watching it like, they said things like, ‘We were just one quarterback away.’ Like, bro. Chris Leak was that motherf—er. Let’s not forget how pretty of a ball he threw. Started as a freshman in the SEC from Independence High School out of Charlotte. Like, what are we talking about?

“Granted, Tebow is everything and some. But bruh, let’s not try to dim the lights of Chris Leak.”

Cam Newton also wanted to hear from Percy Harvin, Joe Haden and others in ‘Swamp Kings’

One of the criticisms of “Swamp Kings” was where some key players were. Newton’s storyline was noticeably missing. He was arrested on felony burglary, larceny and obstruction of justice after allegedly stealing a laptop from a Florida student. The charges were dropped after he completed a pre-trial diversion program, and Newton announced his plans to transfer three days before the 2008 national championship.

But multiple key contributors weren’t in the series. That includes Percy Harvin, who anchored Florida’s run game with 1,852 yards and 19 touchdowns over three seasons.

“Lastly, where were these players? I really wanted to hear from Percy Harvin, Joe Haden, the Pouncey twins,” Newton said. “Like, there was so much that they left out. But other than that, it was a good documentary.”

Although he didn’t appear in the series, Newton shared an “Untold” story of his own via TikTok.

“I never received a national championship ring from the University of Florida,” Newton said. “But that’s another conversation for a different day.”