NFLPA to investigate Cam Newton hits
By Brad Weiss
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was hit multiple times in the head on Thursday, and the NFLPA is now going to investigate.
During the Thursday Night Football matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers, there were plenty of big hits. The Broncos and Panthers boast two of the best defenses in the NFL, so it is no wonder there were so many high-speed collisions during the game. However, so of those hits were to Panthers quarterback Cam Newton’s head, and now his union is going to take a look.
The NFLPA stated on Sunday that they are going to investigate the apparent head-hunting that went on in Week 1. Multiple times during the contest Newton took hard hits to the head, even appearing to have his bell rung on one occasion. The Panthers did not pull him from the game, but later said he did not show symptoms of a concussion.
With less than a minute left in the game, and with the Panthers trailing 21-20, Newton took a shot from Broncos defensive back Darian Stewart. It was the fourth time in the contest that Newton was clearly hit in the head, which is a cause for concern. The NFLPA tweeted out their intentions to initiate an investigation on Sunday.
The NFLPA will initiate a compliance investigation into the Cam Newton incident from Thursday night's game.
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) September 11, 2016
Newton is built like a linebacker, so maybe the referees felt that he can withstand those kinds of hits. However, if it had been other quarterbacks in the league, say Tom Brady, there would have definitely been plenty of flags thrown on Thursday night.
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Newton is one of the brightest stars in the NFL, and the league needs to do a better job of protecting him if he is going to have a long career.