Cam Newton Says Pats Cut Him Due To His 'Aura,' Mac 'Would've Been Uncomfortable'

Cam Newton says his "aura" -- his hairstyle, the way he talks, the way he dresses and the way he dances -- is the reason Bill Belichick cut him last month.

The quarterback made the claim in a sit-down interview with his dad this week ... saying he believes his personality is so big, the Pats were forced to shove him off their roster despite his willingness to stick around and be Mac Jones' backup.

"The truth of the matter is this," Cam said. "[Mac] would've been uncomfortable. He would've."

Newton says because he's such a huge figure -- he believes New England thought Jones wouldn't have been able to flourish while constantly looking over his shoulder at the high-profile QB.

"[My aura] is my gift and my curse," Cam said. "When you bring a Cam Newton to your facility -- when you bring a Cam Newton to your franchise -- people are interested by mere fact of, 'Who is he?'"

"'Why does he wear his hair? Why does he talk? Why does he perform? Why does' -- all these questions."

Newton, though, said he's "not bitter" about how it all went down ... and made it clear he thinks he's still one of the best 32 quarterbacks in the world.

As for Cam's dad, Cecil Newton, Sr., he wasn't exactly pleased with Belichick's decision ... saying cutting the QB was a "sucker move."

There's more ... Cam also ripped the Pats and the NFL for the way they handled his COVID testing situation while he was away from the team in August -- explaining he felt "bamboozled" when they forced him to sit out five days after he returned from a trip home in training camp.

"I'm like," Cam said, "'Y'all told me to go!'"