NFL reporter sparks outrage with comment about player's Xavier Legette's dead father in locker room interview

Panthers reporter David Newton has apologized for a 'hurtful' comment he made about receiver Xavier Legette's late father.

The receiver's dad, Anthony, passed away in 2019 of a heart attack, which Newton mentioned in a profile piece of Legette last year.

But the ESPN reporter appeared to forget that Legette's father had passed while the Carolina player spoke to reporters on Friday.

Ahead of the Panthers' matchup with the Cowboys on Sunday, Newton asked Legette - a native of South Carolina - if he ever followed 'America's Team' growing up.

'Yeah, when I was little, my daddy was a Cowboy fan,' Legette replied.

Newton then said: 'I take it he won't be this week.'

A visibly dejected Legette then replied: 'For sure, for sure, ain't a Cowboy fan no more.'

The second-year wideout then looked to the side and sighed before answering an unrelated question from an another reporter.

Nonetheless, fans were upset by Newton's question.

'Did he really ask him that? Are you kidding me? Pray for XL because you could tell that hurt,' one wrote on X.

'Holy s*** that might be the most insensitive, out of touch thing I’ve ever heard from from David Newton,' another said.

And a third commented: '@espn please remove David Newton. This kind of questioning is inappropriate. Is this really the kind of reporting that you are supporting?'

For his part, Newton took to X to apologize for what he branded an 'innocent mistake.' 

'I have been in touch with the Panthers and have also reached out to Xavier Legette to apologize for my question Thursday regarding his late father's Cowboys fandom,' he said.

'There is no excuse for my forgetting a hard moment in X's life. I have nothing but respect for Xavier. It was an innocent mistake on my part, but a hurtful one, and I hope he will accept my apology.'

Still, some fans questioned how Newton forgot about Legette's father passing when he wrote about it last year.

Legette, who has become a fan favorite due to his thick country drawl and unconventional palate, has had a slow start to his second season.

He has just six catches for 39 yards heading into Week 6's matchup against the Cowboys.