Cam Newton creates headlines when he claimed that referee Ed Hochuli told him he was too young to get a personal foul call in the Week 3 game against the New Orleans Saints. The league naturally investigated the claim from the quarterback and came up with nothing, closing the investigation. Now, Newton's teammates are defending his statements moving forward.
According to David Newton of ESPN.com, the NFL is done looking into the claim from Newton and are dropping the case. Tight end Greg Olsen is not thrilled on the idea, telling the media that Newton does not make things up and if he said that is what the referee told him then that is what happened.
"Cam obviously made it pretty clear what he heard and there's no reason to believe that Cam would make something up," Olsen said on Tuesday's PFT Live. "That's not Cam, that's not the way he operates. . . . He's not a complainer, that's just not his personality. And so obviously he felt like he was disrespected and Cam spoke up for himself and said what he needed to say and that's kind of the way it is. We could tell he was obviously pretty frustrated by something. He was still kind of talking with Ed and kind of walking back you could see with his body language he was a little befuddled over something."
Regardless of the outcome of the call, the Panthers still got the win as the chase the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL South. The team is starting to find their offensive groove as Olsen is playing a big part in it. Now with Jared Allen on the team, the Panthers could become a real threat in the NFC once again.
The biggest issue for Carolina continues to be their passing game and the disappearance of Devin Funchess. When Kelvin Benjamin went down with an injury, Funchess was supposed to be the guy. Instead, he has multiple one-catch games to his name and is looking more like a bust than a star. The Panthers are working to find their identity as a team. Jonathan Stewart is keeping the rushing game moving while Ted Ginn Jr is the leading wide receiver. That might not be enough down the road. The Panthers need Funchess to step up along with Corey Brown and Jerricho Cotchery.
