Ahead of Monday's Reunion, Josh Norman Says He Felt 'Stabbed in The Back' by Panthers

Josh Norman is gearing up to play his former team, the Carolina Panthers, for the first time on Monday Night Football. So naturally, it’s time to revisit his departure from the Panthers, which was, umm, not the smoothest exit.

Norman, now a member of Washington’s secondary, is clearly still a bit bitter about how it all went down. The Panthers had extended the franchise tag to Norman, but they—namely General Manager Dave Gettelman—rescinded it when the two sides couldn’t come close to terms of a new contract.

“It almost felt like I was stabbed the back in a way,” Norman said Thursday, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. “But at the same time I’m not saying he probably meant to do that in that way. It’s just probably the business aspect of it and the money factor and what he believed.”

Though Norman can’t possibly view the situation objectively, he does seem to have decent perspective on the whole thing, considering how fresh the wound still is.

“I gave everything I could do and at the end of the day it seems as if I wasn’t worthy enough to be there,” Norman said. “I got fired. I’m kind of taking it like that.”

The often-fiery Norman commented on how he’ll approach Monday night’s game against his former team.

“You guys know me better than I think anyone else and you should know how this is going to go down,” Norman said. “I’m not going to sit there and lie down and die. I’m going to come out and fight. And I’m gonna fight somebody else to try to get a win if I have to.”

Was he being facetious? Probably not. Norman has a history of throwing down on the field. Expect a good one Monday.