CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – The female sports reporter who is at the center of the Cam Newton controversy regarding an apparent off-handed comment he made towards her during a news conference has since apologized after previous tweets came to light.

Carolina Panthers’ beat reporter Jourdan Rodrigue asked Newton a question about half way through a news conference Wednesday about routes that wide receiver Devin Funchess has been running.

“Cam, I know you take a lot of pride in seeing your receivers play well. Devin Funchess has seemed to really embrace the physicality of his routes and getting those extra yards,” Rodrigue said. “Does that give you a little bit of enjoyment to see him [inaudible] people out there?”

“It’s funny to hear a female talk about routes, like it’s funny,” Newton said with a big smile before answering her question.

“I don’t think it’s ‘funny’ to be a female and talk about routes. I think it’s my job,”

Rodrigue tweeted after the press conference, which has since garnered over 20,000 retweets, over 93,000 likes and over 4,000 comments.

Afterwards, screenshots emerged of tweets that Rodrigue wrote back in 2013. One tweet referenced her “passing through Navajo land” and another included the use of the “n-word.”

On Thursday, Rodrigue tweeted an apology in connection to the tweets.

It appeared that the sports reporter has since removed the previous tweets.

The yogurt company Dannon Oikos cut ties with Carolina Panther’s quarterback Cam Newton Thursday after the comment he made Wednesday.

On Thursday, the brand released a statement saying they no longer plan on working with Newton:

We are shocked and disheartened at the behavior and comments of Cam Newton towards Jourdan Rodrigue, which we perceive as sexist and disparaging to all women. It is entirely inconsistent with our commitment to fostering equality and inclusion in every workplace. It’s simply not ok to belittle anyone based on gender. We have shared our concerns with Cam and will no longer work with him.”

A Panthers spokesman says quarterback Cam Newton has “expressed regret” for his response. Carolina spokesman Steven Drummond said in a statement to The Associated Press that Newton had a conversation with Rodrigue after the news conference ended and expressed regret for his remarks.