Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera realizes that everyone wants to know when Cam Newton will be back in action after being sidelined with a foot injury last month, which led to him giving an update on his star quarterback during his press conference on Tuesday. There were reports that Newton’s foot has been healing very well and he could be practicing with the team next week. However, Rivera said they are not going to put him on the field until he’s 100 percent healthy.
“The problem with it is, Cam has epitomized what we’ve asked of him being a captain. He’s been there in support of his teammates, he’s been around,” Rivera said via the team’s official website. “When we met, when we first got together and talked about this, we told him, ‘Hey, we’re not going to put pressure on you. We’re going to hold tight, hold the fort down, and our guys will play.’ So, until he’s 100 percent, until he’s ready to roll, we’re not going to address it. He’s done everything we’ve asked. The people that are, ‘Well, why has he not been around?’ He’s been around, we just don’t want him standing on the sideline for four and a half hours for no reason. That’s the unfair thing about it. We didn’t want to take him on an eight and a half hour, nine-hour flight.
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“I think people need to understand that the young man has done everything we’ve asked. I’m trying to stay true to what I told him. We’re not going to put that kind of pressure on him. So, until we have it confirmed with our doctors and stuff like that, we’re going to continue to do what we’re doing.”
Rivera went on to say it will be Newton who decides when he returns.
“That’s why when we sat down, I talked to him and told him, ‘You know, Cam, when it’s time. And you’re really the only one who knows it.’ So, we’ll go from there and at the end of the day, we’re focusing on the now,” he said.
Newton was sidelined after Week Two and Kyle Allen has taken over. In the last four games, the Panthers are 4-0 and Allen has completed nearly 66 percent of his passes while throwing for 901 yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. So when Newton returns, the Panthers will have an interesting decision on their hands.
The Panthers are off this week and they will return to action on Oct. 27 to face the San Francisco 49ers.
