On Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina, Carolina Panthers quarterback, Cam Newton, was involved in a two-car collision close to the team’s stadium.
The police report declared that Newton was not at fault, as he was going an appropriate speed when another driver cut him off.
The accident leaves Newton with two transverse fractures in his lower back, a similar injury to that suffered by Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo earlier this season.
Unfortunately for Newton, the average recovery time we’ve seen from Romo and Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty of at least one week, isn’t possible, seeing as the Panthers play Tampa Bay in 5 days.
Panthers spokesman, Charlie Dayton, said of Newton after visiting him, “his spirits were high.”
Regardless, the Panthers have prepared to turn to veteran backup quarterback, Derek Anderson, for Sunday’s game.
Newton’s future this season is in jeopardy, however, especially since the pain will still linger after the recovery. Throughout his career, Newton has said that he is against pain shots and pain medications.
Romo has had to take a pain injection in his back every game since the injury.
This couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Panthers, sitting at 4-8-1, and coming off of a huge 41-10 road victory against the Saints, in which Newton was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Carolina only has 3 games left to try to get in to the postseason as the NFC South representative, and pursuing that with a banged up Cam Newton isn’t too promising.