San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Deebo Samuel may have a right to be annoyed with Cam Newton, but the San Francisco 49ers star discovered this week that a classic prank contributed to some of his frustration.

Newton has made it known recently that he believes 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is overrated. In an episode of his podcast two weeks ago, Newton labeled Purdy a “game manager” rather than an MVP candidate. The former quarterback then had a petty social media post when Purdy struggled in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.

During a Wednesday appearance on the “Up & Adams” show with Kay Adams, Samuel was asked about Newton’s recent criticism of Purdy. He began his response by telling Newton to stop sending him text messages.

“First of all, Cam Newton, stop texting my phone, bro,” Samuel said. “You was a fan like two weeks ago. Like, that’s mad crazy. Like, you wanted me on your podcast after talking about my quarterback, which is funny to me.”

Things got very interesting from there. Newton caught wind of Samuel’s comments and seemed genuinely confused. The former MVP shared a video on social media in which he accused Samuel of lying.

“Deebo, my guy, (I’ve) been a fan, still a fan. You must stop the cap, bro,” Newton said. “My point is this: You said something something like, ‘Cam, stop calling my phone.’ Motherf—er, I don’t got your number. Whoever calling you, that ain’t my phone calling you.”

Samuel still was not convinced. Thinking he could expose Newton for lying, Deebo then shared screenshots of text messages he supposedly received from Newton. The texts were written in the same font that Newton uses on social media, which likely contributed to Samuel thinking they were real.

As it turns out, Samuel was punked. Once Samuel and Newton began beefing in public, a group of kids shared proof of how they were able to get Deebo’s phone number and prank him.

The font was pretty convincing, but Samuel should have been able to find a way to confirm that the number was actually Newton’s before he discussed the situation on the air. He probably regrets doing so.

In summary, Samuel has every right to be aggravated with Newton for the way Cam has criticized Purdy. As for the text messages, Samuel simply got punked.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Nuggets teach Timberwolves it's never easy to knock out the champion
Panthers come from behind to take Game 4 vs. Bruins
Brad Keselowski breaks 110-race winless streak at Darlington
Pacers blow out Knicks on Mother’s Day, even series at 2-2
Hawks GM 'shocked' that his team won the NBA Draft Lottery
Prolific former Brewers, A's slugger announces retirement
Watch: Padres star passes father on all-time home runs list
Saints to sign veteran offensive lineman
Smother's Day: Pacers shut down Knicks in first half of Game 4
Flyers goaltender suspended from international play for three years
Pistons make wrong kind of history at NBA Draft Lottery
Watch: Pacers C Myles Turner makes absurd three-pointer in first quarter vs. Knicks
Hawks win 2024 NBA Draft Lottery
Giants place key outfielder on injured list
Broncos release former Super Bowl champion WR
Novak Djokovic thinks water bottle incident may have played role in surprising loss
Steelers agree to deal with veteran CB
Bruins captain out for Game 4 vs. Panthers
Veteran WR announces retirement from NFL
Mavericks come from behind to down Thunder, take 2-1 series lead