"That motherf****er had me so mad": Cam Newton rips Jim Harbaugh over brutal NFL Combine interview

Cam Newton never played for the San Francisco 49ers. The quarterback instead joined the Carolina Panthers and created a rivalry in the NFC West during the Jim Harbaugh era. His motivation to dominate in the NFL could have come from a variety of places, but he revealed one frustrating interaction with Harbaugh that he remembers to this day.

Speaking on Thursday's episode of his "4th and 1" podcast, Newton recalled his interview with Harbaugh at the combine. He claimed that it was not a pleasant experience.

"One team in particular, it was Jim Harbaugh," Newton said. "He was (with) the f***ing 49ers at that time. Boy, that motherf***er had me so f***ing mad. Boy, steaming. He's like, 'Yo, so what's your relationship with your dad?' This is still barring off of the NCAA investigation, 'If we're drafting you, this how we're expecting you to come in and play early. You've had issues (everywhere) you've been. So you mean to tell me, we got to be patient over you to get through your bullsh*t before you get to actually perform?'

"Research how teams really attacked players in those meetings. (They'll) talk about your mom, talk about your girlfriend... anything that they can find online, they're going to ask you, and they do in a way that is made and created for them to make you uncomfortable."

Teams have notoriously grilled potential candidates for decades. Even after impressing on film, they are thorough in their research, including some notable conversations with the prospects. For some, it's a test. For others, they want to be assured about who they might be investing in. In Harbaugh's case, Newton felt like it was a test.

Cam Newton's NCAA scandal that caught Jim Harbaugh's attention

Cam Newton at NFL: Super Bowl LIX-Radio Row - Source: Imagn

Per NBC Sports, the NCAA scandal that plagued Cam Newton at the time centered around various reports that claimed the QB might have been paid under the table to join Auburn in college.

Allegedly, Cam's father, Cecil Newton, had told a recruiter it would take "more than a scholarship" for the QB to join Mississippi State. Cam never joined the team.

He went on to have an emotional phone call declining to join the Bulldogs. Cecil allegedly had chosen where Cam would go. He went to Auburn and Cecil said that it was because "the money was too much."

The comment made by the eventual Super Bowl 50-losing QB to Peyton Manning led some reporters to believe it was a slip of the tongue. Others speculated that the comments were far from an indictment and it appeared an answer was never revealed.

Cam went on to win an MVP and played in the NFL for 11 seasons with stints with the Carolina Panthers and Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.