Amid rising furor over his degrading comments to a female reporter, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton offered a public apology and a grab of the pussy to the reporter and his fans. These words are similar to words used by then candidate Donald  Trump in audio unearthed during the presidential campaign in which he said, “And when you’re a star they let you do anything. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy.” (Full audio here)

Trump’s words were thoughtfully processed and debated on news shows, but eventually led to his rise to the most powerful job on the planet. Trump has also received high praise for attacks on reporters, the mentally handicapped, women, and veterans among many other. But Newton runs a risk by emulating Trump’s strategy because he is held to the higher moral standards of an NFL player. Newton has already diverged from Trump by issuing an apology. Trump has never apologized to anyone for anything.

Newton lost several sponsors and caused an national uproar when he said, “It’s funny to hear a woman talk about routes,” after the reporter asked him about the routes his receivers run. Routes have always a hot button issue that is normally tread upon very lightly. The backlash has been swift.

The female reporter, Jourdan Rodrigue, said she felt demeaned and degraded. She herself later had to issue an apology for racist tweets she wrote in the past.  She called a comedian “the best. Racist jokes the whole drive home,” and in another she manually retweeted an account screaming in all caps, “the earth moves at 450+ mph, that’s 10 times triller than NASCAR Dale Earnharts a bitch ni–er.”

Newton has been an outspoken volunteer advocate for children with the Cam Newton Foundation and various other charities.

I his apology video on social media, Newton says, “To the reporters, to the journalists, to the moms — super moms — to the daughters, the sisters and the women all around the world, I sincerely apologize and hope that you can find the kindness of your heart to forgive me. Thank you.”

It remains to be seen if grabbing pussy is enough to appease the league, the fans, and his critics.