Cam Newton: Panthers didn’t lose to Seahawks because of a necktie

Carolina head coach Ron Rivera didn’t want to get into the specifics of why Cam Newton wasn’t on the field for the disastrous first series of the Panthers’ 40-7 loss Sunday to the Seahawks. The star QB, though, had no trouble trying to explain how a wardrobe malfunction kept him off the field. Well, maybe a little trouble.

“When you’re 6-5, trying to get a shirt, I was away from home for a week – I didn’t pack a shirt,” said Newton, wearing a fashionable overcoat and black turtleneck along with a wide-brimmed fedora, after the blowout loss. “There were a lot of ties I was given but I can’t wear a tie with this. Meaning, I have a tank top on – we discussed it internally, me and coach, we got on the same page. I felt as if I wore a similar outfit like this before and nothing was done but he has rules in place and we have to abide by them. No person is better than the next person and it is what it is.”

Wait. What?

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That was also the general consensus in the press box when quarterback Derek Anderson led the Panthers onto the field for the first drive of the game. Anderson bootlegged and promptly threw an interception on the opening play, and the ugly start was a bit of foreshadowing for a rough night overall.

Unbeknownst to the outside world at first, Rivera decided not to start Newton for the first series after the reigning MVP violated what he described as a “dress code matter.” Rivera was a bit testy in his postgame press conference when asked multiple times for specifics, saying “I’m not getting into it. I told you, OK. I made a decision, a decision I treat everybody the same way.”

Newton later went into more detailing, confirming that his not wearing a necktie Saturday kept him off the field. The team had spent the week practicing in California to prepare for the time change in the 5:30 p.m. Pacific game, and Newton said the team shipped his clothes, which led to some confusion.

“Long story short, (Rivara) has rules in place,” Newton said. “In my opinion, it was a lack of communication, like I say, on my part, especially as a team captain. A person who I feel has his ears, I should have just cleared it first.

“… But, we didn’t lose this game because of a tie, you know what I’m saying? It was a lot of execution errors, it was a lot of things that we had our opportunities and we failed at it and as a team we’re going to keep putting ourselves in this position if we don’t maximize the opportunities that we do get in a game.”

The Seahawks have been a long-time thorn for the former No. 1 overall pick, besting him in the first four matchups of his career. Newton finally getting over the hump last season with two victories against the Seahawks, including one in the NFC divisional round. Newton, who was relatively quiet offensively minus a 55-yard touchdown pass to Ted Ginn Jr. after Earl Thomas went out with an injury in the second quarter, finished with a 72.7 passer rating.

When asked about the Sehaawks’ success against Newton, Rivera said he doesn’t think it is because Seattle has his number.

“We’ve had opportunities to beat them before and we beat them twice last year and they beat us a few times as well,” River said. “I think it’s a good rivalry, I do.”

That rivalry extends well beyond the field. Newton made enemies in Seattle following last season’s playoff victory in Charlotte, grabbing a “12” flag from a Seahawks fan, crumpling it up and tossing it. Before Sunday’s game, Newton told ESPN he felt justified by his action, asking “Where was the flag at? Was it at our house?”

Newton’s comments came in response to cornerback Richard Sherman’s comment that Carolina’s poor season may be “karma” from Newton’s move. Newton has had a public love-hate relationship with some of Seattle’s other stars, including defensive end Michael Bennett, who once called Newton “probably the quarterback I like to hit most” and a “sore loser,” and also called the QB out earlier this year for not taking a lead in social activism as a prominent black athlete. Bennett reportedly called and apologized to Newton for that comment.

Fellow defensive lineman Frank Clark also ripped Newton for the QB’s effort on a fourth-quarter fumble in Super Bowl 50. After Sunday’s game, Clark said he was surprised to see Anderson behind center but didn’t dwell on it long.

“Guys make decisions for different reasons,” Clark said. Maybe a team reason, a personal decision, but at the end of the day that doesn’t really effect how we come out and play the game, whoever is back there at QB.

“It’s kind of surprising when your starting quarterback isn’t out there for the first play, but then he’s on the next series but that’s probably why things happen the way they happen,” he added. “God works things out for a reason. Mike Morgan got his first pick of the season and it wasn’t by Cam, and if he was in it probably would have been different, but we thank him for not being in.”

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