Cam Newton shares emotional 'thank you' message to Ron Rivera after firing

"Thank you for allowing me to be me!!"

Cam Newton has had only one head coach during his impressive NFL career – Ron Rivera.

Now the injured QB will have a second coach, as Rivera was fired by the Panthers on Tuesday.

Rivera went 76-63-1 during his 8-plus years with Carolina. He teamed up with Newton to lead the Panthers to a 15-1 record in 2015, a year in which Newton was named NFL MVP and the team lost to the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl.

Newton posted a heartfelt message to Rivera on Tuesday, saying:

“Will be forever grateful because of the impact you had on my life… Thank you for giving me an opportunity. Thank you for believing in me. I can go on & on but most importantly; thank you for allowing me to be me!! …this one hurt deep!!”

Here’s his post:

Rivera likely won’t be out of a job for long. Many Cowboys fans hope he’ll end up in Dallas.

But the bond he and Newton built over the years was a special one.