Cam Newton gets taunting penalty instead of personal foul (Video)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton got hit in the helmet and managed to get flagged for taunting instead of a personal foul call against Washington.
The saga of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton getting hit in the helmet continued on Monday Night Football. As Newton and the Panthers built up an early lead against the Redskins, it looked they were putting together another good drive.
Instead, a penalty no one expected ended up stalling it and leaving people confused about where the league and officiating is when it comes to monitoring helmet-to-helmet contact. As Newton took off as a runner, he slid and contact was made with his helmet by Trent Murphy. Newton got up and would flip the ball and looked for a call.
A flag was immediately thrown and everyone assumed it was going to be a personal foul on Murphy for making contact with Newton’s helmet. To the surprise of Ron Rivera and everyone else, a taunting penalty was called on Newton for flipping the football.
It was yet another strange call and perhaps an inexcusable one in a long line of them. While Newton isn’t the only quarterback that has dealt with concussions and getting hit in the head, he’s been the focal point of the issue all season.
One can assume that the discussion of protecting the quarterback will continue to linger after this game and into the rest of the season. The flag for taunting certainly was the most perplexing part of this play.