The NFL announced on Wednesday that an investigation determined the Panthers did not violate the league’s concussion protocol with Cam Newton earlier this month, but fans in Carolina may still be concerned about a separate revelation that the league made in its press release.
According to the NFL, the Panthers properly evaluated Newton for a concussion after he took a big hit to the head from a New Orleans Saints player in the fourth quarter when the two teams met in the wild-card round, and it was determined that the quarterback did not sustain one. Newton also did not display “gross motor instability,” which would have required him to be sent to the locker room for further evaluation.
However, spectators may have noticed that Newton looked a bit unsteady on his feet. NFL officials were confident that had nothing to do with concussion-like symptoms, as the Panthers had reported in the third quarter that Newton suffered a knee injury. That story apparently checked out, as an MRI the day after the game “confirmed ligament and cartilage damage and very extensive swelling in the knee.”
While the knee injury is somewhat of a side note in the overall context of the concussion protocol drama, ligament damage is never a good thing. Fortunately for the Panthers, team spokesman Steven Drummond said Wednesday morning that Newton will not require surgery for the injury.
Newton got off to a slow start in 2017, and a significant injury likely had a lot to do with that. He has been banged up quite a bit since his MVP season in 2015, so any knee injury that resulted in ligament damage and swelling is, at the very least, something to monitor.
