New England Quarterback Cam Newton made quite an impression on and off the field in his Patriots debut.

After showing up for his first game in Gillette Stadium in a bright yellow suit, Newton donned black cleats during team warm ups with anti-racism messages written on the sides.

On the outside of his right foot was the phrase “7 SHOTS” along with seven circles-representing the number of times Jacob Blake was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, earlier this year.

Other phrases written on Newton’s cleats included “IT ENDS NOW!!” “SAY THEIR NAMES!” and “NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE.”

USA Today reported the shoes were specially designed for Newton by Under Armor.

Last week during a conference call with national media, Newton said he wanted to set an example for others to follow.

“I understand who I am, I understand being an African American in this time, we have to be stronger and sticking with each other more than ever now,” Newton said. “We have to make sure we’re using our platform for positive reasons, and that’s what I want to do. I want to prove to people that there’s more to a person than what you see on the outer level. I’m a person who got second and third and fourth chances in my life and yet through it all it should always be about what that person’s about, not what that person looks like, and as long as I have this opportunity to impact and empower the community whether it’s the Black community, whether it’s the white community, it doesn’t matter what community it may be, I just want to do my part as a good Samaritan on Earth.”

Social Media reacts to Cam Newton

As expected, the social media reaction to the quarterback’s statement cleats were mixed.

Some praised Newton as a leader and an example to the African American community.

Others were critical of Newton’s decision to wear the creative cleats.

Some just wanted to know if the shoes were going to be available to the public anytime soon.

The Patriots made the decision as a team not to engage in any form of protest before their opener, according to USA Today. After warm ups, Newton changed into traditional red cleats to match his Patriot teammates.

Newton was impressive in his New England debut with a win over the visiting Miami Dolphins. He passed for 155 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns in the victory.

H/T: USA TODAY