The lack of roughing the passer penalties against Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton has been a talking point all season long. In October, Newton said he wanted to talk to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about the lack of perceived penalties being called before him and his lack of perceived protection as a quarterback.
The NFL responded by making it known publicly that Newton was actually in the middle of the pack when it came to missed roughing calls and there was not in fact some kind of vast conspiracy against him. However, the NFL did admit to missing a couple of calls when it did come to Newton-related hits.
That brings us to last night’s Panthers-Redskins Monday Night Football game where the issue came up again.
Newton clearly got hit in the helmet on a slide, but he was the one called for a penalty when he threw the ball at a Redskins player and got 15 yards for taunting.
Would've been a tough penalty b/c Murphy started his tackle before Cam started his slide, but still 100% a penalty.https://t.co/gQYbM8YlVG
— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) December 20, 2016
https://twitter.com/CauldronICYMI/status/811036981228490752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The latest Newton fiasco led at least one prominent sports media personality to hit the “engage” button on a nuclear Twitter rant. ESPN’s Michael Wilbon called for the officiating crew to be suspended for calling the foul on Newton and questioned whether there is in fact an agenda against him from the league.
The officiating crew should be suspended rest of season for flagging the reaction and not the hit to Cam's head. Disgraceful…
— Michael Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) December 20, 2016
I'm always ripping Newton for whining but everything he says about the NFL refs not protecting him like the Golden Boy QBs is true…
— Michael Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) December 20, 2016
THAT non-call makes me wonder if there is an agenda against Newton…it was right in the open and unmistakable. The league has to take…
— Michael Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) December 20, 2016
…action against the official in question when the incompetence is that glaring. Walt Coleman our someone on his crew has to go down!
— Michael Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) December 20, 2016
If I represented Campbell Newton my attack on the league from top down to the refs would singe their ears. The NFL should more than…
— Michael Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) December 20, 2016
….issue a statement of what should have been called. Somebody in the big house ought to apologize for the latest blatant incompetence.
— Michael Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) December 20, 2016
Wilbon had one more salvo later in the evening against the officiating crew who worked last night’s Monday Night Football game, and he was so frustrated he didn’t even bother to use spellcheck.
The overall incompetence of this officiating crew tonight is atunning…
— Michael Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) December 20, 2016
Is there a conspiracy against Cam Newton? I’m not so sure there is a problem there as much as there’s a problem with just bad NFL officiating in general. I mean, just yesterday NFL officials ruled this a catch by Odell Beckham Jr.
This was ruled a catch. pic.twitter.com/YWasC7kbO0
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 18, 2016
Is there an agenda against Cam Newton? Until Newton gets suspended four games for an 18 month long saga involving under-inflated footballs, it’s hard to say that there is. But perception oftentimes becomes reality, and right now the perception is that there’s something amiss going on.
