CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (WPVI) -- ABC News reports that Dannon has ended its relationship with Panther's quarterback Cam Newton after he laughed at a question from a female reporter Wednesday.
In a statement, Dannon said it is "Simply not OK to belittle anyone based on gender."
On Wednesday, the Carolina Panthers had their weekly news conference ahead of Sunday's matchup. With the Panthers coming off a big win in New England, you would think the presser would be positive and hopeful ... until Cam Newton responded to a beat reporter's question about routes with:
"It's funny to hear a female talk about routes," he said, chuckling.
The reporter who he was responding to, Jourdan Rodrigue, is the Panthers beat writer for the Charlotte Observer.
Despite Dannon's positioning, Newton's marketing agent, Carlos Fleming of WME/IMG, told ESPN that the company did not sever its active endorsement deal with his client, "nor do they have the grounds to."
Neuwirth confirmed that the company would continue to keep Newton under contract without using him but have started the process of pulling existing advertising that includes Newton.
Newton replaced actor John Stamos as the brand's primary spokesman in January 2015, beating out Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson for the job.
None of Newton's other primary sponsors, including Under Armour, Gatorade, Beats By Dre and Buick, has issued comments since Wednesday's news conference, when he responded to Rodrigue's question about wide receiver Devin Funchess embracing the physicality of routes with "It's funny to hear a female talk about routes." The comment was universally panned and had Newton trending on social media.
ESPN and ABC News contributed to this report
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