Cam Newton's Father Calls Out NFL Over Hits Made on His Son

Cam Newton's teammates weren't the only ones upset with how the officiating crew handled the numerous helmet-to-helmet hits on the Carolina Panthers' franchise quarterback in last night's 21-20 loss to the Denver Broncos. Newton's father Cecil was also not only irate with the referees, he was "grossly disturbed" by some of the Broncos' defensive players, and the NFL.

"It starts with the guys who control the behavior on the field," Cecil told ESPN's Jim Trotter. "I think the culprit is the mere fact that they allowed the game to get out of control. They allowed players to push the envelope to the very edge. That's my ultimate concern." Newton's father stressed that he's primarily worried about Cam's health whenever he takes the field, and how it will impact him in the future.

When looking back at the vicious hits Cam took last night, Cecil believes his son wasn't treated the same as other quarterbacks in the league, specifically Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, among others. "Was Cam treated differently from other quarterbacks? In this case, yes he was—clearly," Newton's father said. "Anybody who has followed the game for any length of time and has a working knowledge of how the game is to be played would agree with that statement."

In addition to calling out the officials, Cam's father took aim at the Broncos' defensive players, and the intention behind their hits. "I know a good hit when I see a good hit. I was a defensive player, and I played the game at the highest level as well," Cecil continued. "But when you deliberately target and when you're constantly being hit after the ball is out, I question the intent of the defensive player, and I question the official who, basically, if he does not warn them, lets the flow of the game continue."

While Newton's father refuses to "keep fanning the flames of race" when discussing the referees's treatment of his last night, he does believe there is "a bias, a hidden bias."