Rivera also emphasized Friday that the team followed the concussion protocol.
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With under 40 seconds left, Broncos safety Darian Stewart went helmet-to-helmet with Newton.
In addition to criticizing the refs’ failure to penalize the Broncos properly, many took issue with the fact Newton continued to play despite looking less than 100 percent. An Observer photograph shows Panthers tight end Greg Olsen yelling at Newton as the quarterback walks away from him. I’m glad the PA is stepping up and I think this can help the situation for everyone.
Stewart said after the game he felt as if he led with his shoulder, not his head.
“It bothered me watching that game”, said Cook’s whose clients include Hall of Famer Brett Favre.
“I don’t think that’s what we are”, Broncos linebacker Todd Davis said.
I’m not saying that he should be protected just because he’s marketable, but because it’s the right thing to do.
“Start thinking about the next one”, said Rivera, whose team plays San Francisco on September 18. Panthers team doctor Robert Heyer and an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant requested a replay of the hit from the athletic trainers serving as concussions spotters in the press box. That set up fourth-and-21 from the Carolina 29 at the 2-minute warning and Newton threw incomplete but got a reprieve.
The NFL’s new concussion-protocol enforcement agreement with the NFLPA was immediately tested on opening night and the NFLPA wants to know why Newton never received a cognitive exam on the sidelines despite suffering repeated blows to the head, and despite Newton appearing to clutch his head and have difficulty getting to his feet at times. They say, ‘Oh, but he runs the ball so much.’ Well, every single one of those times he was hit he was playing quarterback. Marshall went out in the second quarter for a concussion evaluation but was cleared to return.
While Newton did not suffer a concussion in the game, his father Cecil Newton told ESPN he was “grossly disturbed” by the hits and Newton’s agent Bus Cook told La Canfora that he was bothered by them as well.
The union announced its intention Sunday. So along with the players’ association, the National Football League will review “the relevant documents and video and interview the involved parties”. If they agree the protocol was not followed, the league and NFLPA will recommend discipline. Maybe it’s fine that some players started to realize how totally fucked they might be - how totally fucked the system allows them to be - only when they sat down and watched a Will Smith movie. The commissioner retains full discretion over punishment, which can range from $50,000 to $150,000 in fines and the forfeiture of draft picks.
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In his release, McCarthy, the league spokesman, pointed out the review is not a presumption of improper procedure.
