Heading into the season, Cam Newton wasn’t exactly the healthiest player on the Carolina Panthers roster. He suffered a rib injury in August and in March underwent surgery on his left ankle, which reportedly still isn’t 100%.
When players around the NFL know you’re dealing with an injury, you can expect to receive an extra shot or two to the area during the course of the game. It can come at the bottom of the pile or after the tackle before returning to your feet. The latter was the case on Sunday for Cam Newton.
After scoring on a 12-yard touchdown run against the Bengals, Vontaze Burfict gave Newton’s ankle an extra twist.
Newton’s reaction at the end lets us know he felt it was excessive. However, he wasn’t the only one to have a run-in with Burfict. Panthers tight end Greg Olsen, also nursing an ankle injury, was a victim as well.
While in college at Arizona State, Vontaze Burfict was called a dirty player on a few occasions. It’s highly likely that term will come up numerous times on sports radio shows around Charlotte this week.
