SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Cam Newton can relate to what Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel is going through.

And the Carolina Panthers quarterback said Tuesday he's spoken to Manziel a few times this offseason about coping with the pressures of being a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback living college life in the limelight.

Cam Newton said he has talked with Johnny Manziel this offseason, hoping to point him in the right direction. Elsa/Getty Images

Newton wouldn't discuss the specifics of the conversations, saying they are personal, just between him and Manziel.

But he said Manziel "has to go through these types of situations to know how to handle them in the future. When somebody comes up to you and asks for your autograph, you don't know if they're going to do it for good or bad" purposes.

Like Manziel, Newton was under media scrutiny at Auburn during an NCAA investigation into pay-for-play allegations. Newton was not found to have committed any wrongdoing and wasn't suspended from any games.

"For any college athlete you are vulnerable to so many things," Newton said. "You think everybody loves you for who you are."

Newton said that was a tough lesson to learn while he was at Auburn.