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Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton skipped his mandatory weekly meeting with reporters Thursday ahead of Sunday's road game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

Steve Reed of the Associated Press confirmed Newton declined to attend the session through a Panthers spokesperson. Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer noted the star QB had never missed one of the required interviews when healthy.

Vashti Hurt of Carolina Blitz pointed out Newton didn't show up for his non-mandatory press conference Wednesday, which was also the first day Charlotte Observer reporter Jourdan Rodrigue returned to the locker room after not working the team's last two games, per Jason Lisk of The Big Lead:

Newton drew widespread criticism earlier this month after responding to a question from Rodrigue by saying, "It's funny to hear a female talk about routes. Like, it's funny."

She responded later in the day on social media:

One day later, Rodrigue apologized after old tweets surfaced in which she used racist language directed toward NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.

It's unclear whether her absence from Panthers coverage was due to the old social media messages or previously planned time off.

Meanwhile, Newton lost a sponsorship deal with Dannon due to his comments in the press conference two weeks ago.

The Panthers quarterback didn't provide an explanation for his absence from the interview Thursday.

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