Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton Confirms Birth of his First Child

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has confirmed the rumors that he and his longtime girlfriend, Kia Proctor, have welcomed their first child. Proctor reportedly gave birth on Christmas Eve.

Newton announced the happy news via his Twitter on Wednesday. His back-to-back tweets read:

"My longtime girlfriend and I were extremely blessed to have a son last week. Out family is excited and thank you all for the well wishes!"

"I've been quiet about this because I didn't want to create a distraction for my team and appreciate the privacy in this joyous time."

Newton had left practice early last Thursday, skipping five plays, to make the trip to Atlanta where Proctor was giving birth. Head coach Ron Rivera had stated that Newton had to leave due to a personal issue that was not negative.

Rumors about the child's birth were heated when Newton rocked a football like a baby after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons. However, when the quarterback was asked about the significance of the move, Newton shrugged it off and stated that he would "leave that at that."

Newton and the nearly undefeated Panthers are preparing for the final game for the regular season. A win this week could help secure home field advantage for the Panthers throughout the playoffs.

A win for Newton could also lead to an NFL MVP award. Newton has had a stellar season this year. In this season, Newton has completed 275 of 469 for 3,544 yards, a career-high of 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His quarterback rating is 97.0.

Carson Palmer of the Arizona Cardinals and Tom Brady of the New England Patriots are in the mix for the award as well.

The Panthers (14-1) will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-9) on Sunday at 4:25 p.m.