Amid Charlotte protests, Cam Newton pays tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. before game

The city of Charlotte, N.C., has endured a week of both peaceful and violent protests following the death of Keith Lamont Scott. It has led to a tense situation in the community, causing police to heighten security outside Bank of America Stadium for Sunday’s game, which is located in downtown Charlotte.

With the Panthers set to take on the Vikings at home, Cam Newton took the field wearing a shirt with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. on the back of it. The quote reads “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” It comes from his “Letter From a Birmingham Jail.”

Newton has remained fairly quiet with regards to the civil unrest stemming from recent police shootings. He said speaking out on the situation is a “lose-lose” for him, which has led some to criticize the Panthers quarterback.

He did say this on Thursday, though.

“I’m an African-American. I am not happy how the justice has been kind of dealt with over the years,” Newton said. “The state of oppression in our community. But we also, as black people, have to do right by ourselves. We can’t be hypocrites.”