Despite several hard hits to the helmet in the NFL season opener, Newton was never taken out of the game to be evaluated by league medical staff.
Advertisement
“If it’s determined that what they did is illegal, then they should be treated accordingly”, said coach Ron Rivera, who added the Panthers “sent a number” of hits to the league.
The NFLPA stated on Sunday that they are going to investigate the apparent head-hunting that went on in Week 1.
“He did a nice job of getting down when he needed to get down”, Shula said of Newton, who has learned to slide more the past couple of years instead of going down head first.
Fans also held their collective breath when Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall appeared to purposefully drive his helmet into Newton’s, which seemed to cause the quarterback’s neck to snap back from the force of the blow. “Start thinking about the next one”, said Rivera, whose team plays San Francisco on September 18.
“As far as what we do and how we do it, there are some things we have to look at”, Rivera said.
It was a helmet-to-helmet hit initiated by Broncos safety Darian Stewart that sparked the compliance investigation into whether Newton should have been removed and checked for a concussion.
Cam takes the beating with little complaint, but if you are supposed to protect the QB protect all of them the same.
Had that roughing call stood, Carolina would’ve had the ball in field goal range with a few more plays to move closer. First I thought that it was me, but then my co-worker and former National Football League lineman Marcus Price said “man did you see Cam get hit late all night?”
The NFL said in a statement Friday that medical personnel, including the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant, reviewed video of Stewart’s final-minute hit on Newton.
It was not the only hit on Newton at Thursday’s game that raised eyebrows.
The NFL noted in a statement Sunday morning that “initiation of this process does not mean that we have seen any evidence that the Protocol was applied improperly, but simply reflects our obligation to ensure the health and safety of our players”.
Had game officials or any member of the medical team requested an evaluation of Newton, he would have been sidelined at least one play.
Violating the NFL’s concussion rules could result in a fine of as much as $150,000 for the first offense.
Advertisement
Under the policy, agreed on in July, if the NFLPA’s findings dispute the league’s findings, the union can appeal to a neutral arbitrator, who has the authority to discipline the Panthers and others who were responsible for Newton’s well-being. If the commissioner determines the team failed to follow protocol for competitive reasons, he may require the forfeiture of draft picks and even more fines.
