Cam Newton’s dad wonders if there is a bias from refs toward son
Cam Newton’s dad wonders if there is a bias from refs toward his son when it comes to getting calls on the field.
Cam Newton took a serious beating on the road against the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. Whether it was a sack that caused him to leave the game with a lower leg injury or the unprotected shots to the head he took on a repeated basis, it was almost sickening to watch just how bad he was getting beat down on the field. There has been a lot of buzz about head safety issues since the game has ended and it was not a pretty sight to behold.
There are also many people that are angry that Newton didn’t get the right calls for the shots that he took on the field against Denver. One person in particular that is not happy with how things when down is Cam Newton’s dad. Speaking to ESPN’s Jim Trotter after the game, Cecil Newton ripped into the league and the officiating crew and even began to wonder if there was a bias against his son.
Life in the NFL can be tough for a quarterback the size of Newton. Because he is so physically imposing, he tends to take bigger shots from defenders and some things might not always be called because of his immense size. Still, his dad really began to take things up a notch with his comments about the officiating crew.
"“I speak in the voice of Cecil Newton. I’m the father. I speak from what I saw. I’m disappointed in the officiating crew, as a fan of the NFL. … These guys have to do a better, unbiased job. I don’t want it to necessarily be because he’s a black quarterback. But it causes you to wonder — are you really biased or have some hidden reason [for treating him differently]? Because if everybody else can see the targeting — I can’t tell you how many calls I’ve gotten since last night, in the last 12 hours."
While Newton’s father has made some strong claims, it can’t be denied that last night’s game was not a good look for the league. With the league pushing for policies of head safety and trying to limit the damage taken, Newton getting pulverized continuously probably wasn’t the best thing to showcase to the world.
Next: Every NFL Team's Biggest Draft Whiff Of All-Time
It will be interesting to see how refs call shots against Newton going forward, but his safety should be a top priority. He didn’t look his normal self on the last drive and if he keeps taking hits like that, it’s going to be hard for him to keep standing.