The NFL is investigating whether referee Ed Hochuli told Panthers quarterback Cam Newton he's not old enough to get a personal fouled called in his favor.
That could be bad news. For Newton.
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NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said the league has a process by which they would investigate whether any microphones were in the area that could have picked up exactly what was said between Newton and Hochuli.
The two had a discussion after Newton was hit out of bounds following a thrown pass against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday," Pro Football Talk reported.
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"Absolutely," Blandino said. "We would do an investigation, see if anybody was mic'd in the area and we've had situations in the past where an official said something inappropriate to a player and we've disciplined them. So there is a process in place and we would have to go through that process to see if we could pick up what was actually said.
"Any official could be disciplined if they say something inappropriate and we do not teach that the number of years a player is in the league is going to determine whether a foul is called. It's the posture that he's in and was there a violation. So saying something to that effect is certainly something that is not appropriate. Again, Ed is adamant that he didn't say it and that's where we are."
Newton's reaction was animated in his discussion with Hochuli, but the Carolina player simply may be the victim of misunderstanding what the official told him.
Newton's eagerness to share his side of the story with the media, however, could come back to haunt him.
"By calling out the referee in such a public manner, Newton may be setting himself for up for some future non-calls, which isn't so smart," The Washington Post surmised. "Especially when the league backed up Hochuli on his non-call."
"The officials make decisions based upon the play on the field, and no other factors," said NFL spokesman Michael Signora, according to Pro Football Talk. "On the play in question, there is no roughing the passer because the quarterback is out of the pocket and a runner, and no unnecessary roughness because the contact is not late."
ESPN reported that coach Ron Rivera hinted that Newton already is treated differently than other quarterbacks because of his 6-foot-5, 245-pound frame. Newton may have just added to Rivera's conspiracy theory.
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