South Carolina native and current resident Darius Rucker has issued an apology to Cam Newton, who was the first-round draft pick for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. You see, Darius is a huge Gamecock fan, even attending the University of South Carolina, and when football star and Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton helped to blast the singer’s beloved Gamecocks 56-17 in 2010, Darius said the player would never cut it in the NFL. He was way off the mark , and he has since apologized to the rookie quarterback.

“I was one of those who, when he was coming out of college, me being a Gamecock fan and knowing what he did to us and the SEC last year, I was a hater,” Darius told the Charlotte Observer. “I’ll never forget his first [regular-season] game. I told a buddy that Cam is going to get blown up. I would like to apologize to Cam Newton. I was dead wrong.”

“His football IQ is off the charts,” Darius continues. “I love his body language. I love the way he walks down the field. You know he’s a leader. Every day I’m becoming more and more of a Cam Newton fan. If you’d told me last year I’d be saying that, I’d have said you’re crazy.”

Darius, who’s climbing the country charts with his latest single, “I Got Nothin’,’ is a huge football fan, but you won’t catch him wearing a favored jersey on game day. “No, I’m not that guy. Anybody over 30 who wears a jersey is a dork,” he says jokingly. “My brother-in-law is 40-something and he wears a Steelers jersey. Every time I see him in it I make fun of him.” He may not wear a jersey, but he does have the emblem of his favorite NFL team — the Miami Dolphins — tattooed on his body.