Former Panther RB Not Happy With How Team Handled Cam Newton’s Injuries

Cam Newton’s time with the Carolina Panthers came to an abrupt end this off-season. The former NFL MVP’s injury history was likely a primary reason for Carolina’s decision to move on.

Even though Carolina released him over two months ago, Newton remains on the market in what’s been a confusing off-season for the former No. 1 pick. He’s bound to get picked up at some point, but for now, he’s remaining patient.

Since his 2015 MVP season, Newton has battled injuries and his play has occasionally suffered as a result. He played in only two games in 2019 with a variety of ailments.

But Newton’s former teammate, RB Mike Tolbert, recently critiqued the Panthers’ organization for the mishandling of Newton’s injuries over the years. In an interview with The Athletic, Tolbert claimed that Carolina has been “doing [Newton] wrong timing-wise for the past two or three years.”

“They’ve been doing him wrong timing-wise for the past two or three years, if you ask me,” Tolbert said, via USA Today. “It goes back to his shoulder surgery. Everyone knew his shoulder was messed up in the middle of the year two years ago. But they wait until off-season gets ready to start to have shoulder surgery. Makes no sense. Timing’s off.”

Tolbert also said the Panthers mishandled Newton’s supposed ankle/foot injury during the 2019 pre-season.

If this is true, it’s certainly a bad look for Carolina. But the organization got a major overhaul this off-season with Matt Rhule now at the helm.

Either way, Newton’s relationship with Carolina seems irreparable at this point.