Earlier this month, the Carolina Panthers released former No. 1 pick in quarterback Cam Newton.

The former NFL Rookie of the Year and 3-time Pro Bowler was cut loose after the Panthers were certain he wasn’t in the longterm plans due to injury concerns. That’s never an easy thing to tell the face of the franchise either.

First-year head coach Matt Rhule and the Panthers received some backlash from fans on the decision, and the Carolina head coach was asked about it on Charlotte radio station WFNZ.

“That’s what makes fans great, right? They love the players,” Rhule said. “And Carolina is a place probably moreso than many fanbases that really, really loves their players. Go back over the years, when players have left it’s been really bittersweet. I grew up in a different part of the country, players came and players left, it was different. Here, fans hold onto those things.

“We’ve addressed it a bunch. We did what we thought was right. We did what we thought was right for the future. And we’re going to have to do that year in and year out. this is a game of change. This is a game of turnover. All you can do is do things the right way,” Rhule said. “All you can do is tell people as best you can tell them. You have to give them hard news in this business.”

Following its decision to let Newton go, Carolina signed Teddy Bridgewater to a 3-year, $63-million free agency deal.

Sometimes change is good for everyone involved, and that could certainly be true with Newton.

You can listen to Rhule’s full comments below: