The questions and confusion surrounding Cam Newton’s health have swirled for over a year. On Tuesday, the Carolina Panthers placed the 2015 NFL MVP on Injured Reserve, cutting his season short for the second year in a row.
Newton suffered a Lisfranc injury in Week Two of the preseason but still started the first two games of the regular season. This is the second time in as many seasons that Newton’s season has been cut short due to injury. Newton missed the final two games of the 2018 season due to a shoulder injury that required surgery for the second time in a two-year span.
“For the past seven weeks, Cam has diligently followed a program of rest and rehab and still is experiencing pain in his foot,” general manager Marty Hurney said. “He saw two foot specialists last week who agreed that he should continue the path prescribed by the team’s medical staff, and that it likely will take significant time for the injury to fully heal.”
“We have said all along that it is impossible to put a timetable on this injury. Nobody is more frustrated with that fact than Cam. He’s one of the fiercest competitors I’ve been around during my 20-plus years in the League. At this time we have decided that the best decision to reach the goal of bringing the foot back to 100 percent is to place Cam on injured reserve.”
The move ends Newton’s ninth NFL season after the Panthers selected him first overall in the 2011 Draft. Newton has career totals of 29,041 passing yards, 182 passing touchdowns, 4,806 rushing yards, and 58 rushing touchdowns. In addition to a slew of NFL records, Newton was named the 2011 NFL AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and the 2015 NFL AP MVP.
