Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was benched for the first play of Sunday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, and it would appear he was not pleased when head coach Ron Rivera gave him the bad news.
TMZ obtained a video that supposedly shows the moment when Rivera informed Newton that he was being disciplined for violating the team’s dress code. The exchange happened just as Newton was about to board the team bus, and the look on his face said it all.
Newton was benched for the first series of the game, which ended up being just one play after backup quarterback Derek Anderson threw an interception. Rivera told all of his players to wear a tie on game day, and Newton showed up without one. The quarterback gave a pretty interesting explanation for why he didn’t follow the rules.
Typically something like that would result in a small fine, but Rivera must have been trying to prove a point by not giving Newton preferential treatment. The look of disbelief when he informed Newton was quite telling.
