Football is a ferocious battle, and what happens on the battlefield stays on the battlefield. Only those who step onto the field can truly understand the intensity of the game. Concussions and season-ending injuries are an all too real and common part of the game, but when does it become too much?
Cam Newton, quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, is one of the most sought after football players in the NFL. I don't mean that every team is looking to trade for him. Every defense in the NFL is looking to pummel him. Quarterbacks take hard hits, and Newton is no stranger to this part of the game. Nevertheless, he recently stated in a postgame interview, "I don't even feel safe."
Newton's complaint came after the Panthers' win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week Seven, and the reigning MVP had an issue with a tackle that could have potentially resulted in a knee injury.
In the past week, Newton has been getting mixed reviews from players across the league. Some support his decision to talk to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about officiating, and others counter his argument by questioning his willingness to be on the field. Pittsburgh Steelers right tackle Marcus Gilbert reportedly commented, "Don't be out there if you're scared."
Newton is a big guy, 6'5 and 245 pounds, and likes to run the ball a lot, a mindset few quarterbacks have. Naturally the position he's in makes him a target on the field; nevertheless, he carries a huge threat to each opposing defense with his one-two punch: passing ability and run game.
However, during this season alone he's had some pretty questionable hits, including several in the Panthers' Week One loss to the Denver Broncos where Newton took several hits to the head. Only one helmet-to-helmet penalty was called. In the Panthers' Week Four loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Newton took another hit resulting in a concussion and a missed game the following week.
ESPN magazine interviewed former NFL offensive lineman and marijuana advocate, Eugene Monroe, and he revealed, "I've played with some very good players. And the way we blocked some guys...you shouldn't be able to do that to people. I mean it's not right - and it doesn't exist anywhere else but on the field. I mean really disrespecting and hurting people."
From a young age, football players are taught to be aggressive. It's a part of the game, most say. But where is the line drawn?
"When I see other guys get calls, they don’t have to be MVPs. They don’t have to be this that and the third of being this type of tier of player. I look at how they get hit. And for every hit that they get that gets called, I can match it in my career that it didn’t get called," expressed Newton.
"I can’t speak for nobody else. I’m speaking for Cam Newton. I’m telling you, you have to question it. It’s taking the fun out for me. At times in games I do not feel protected by the officials."
The NFL prides itself on prioritizing player safety and sportsmanship, according to Dean Blandino, NFL's senior vice president of officiating. Blandino stated after Newton's comments that "[Newton] is not being officiated any differently than any other quarterback."
"The rules are the same for all quarterbacks," Blandino said."There are protections inside the pocket, there are protections outside the pocket and the quarterbacks, I think they all understand those rules."
Nevertheless, Blandino did admit to a couple of missed calls by game officials in the Panthers' Week Seven game.
Cam Newton's disposition truly raises eyebrows, and surely officiating will be under more of a microscope these next couple weeks. The question remains, however, whether we should support him in his plea for safety or write it off as a player whining. If the Panthers were winning more games, would Cam feel any different?
