New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton clarified a cryptic post to Instagram which conveyed a surprising message: “Loyalty, I deserve it.”

The post came after New England beat Washington in the preseason when fans and media members had positive reviews of rookie QB Mac Jones, who is competing with Newton for the top quarterback spot. Many wondered if Newton was suggesting he deserved loyalty in the QB competition. He said that was not what he was posting about.

“For somebody to take that interpretation as far as, I don’t know how, but to relate to football, it had zero to do with football,” Newton said Monday after practice. “I just know that having a relationship with your kids via FaceTime, that’s kind of like the worst thing, but it’s my heart. My heart is intentional, and I want loyalty more so because of my imperfections as a person and as a man.”

Considering how Newton had reacted to the quarterback competition in all of his meetings with the media, it would be surprising for him to vent about loyalty on social media.