National Football League

Panthers coach Ron Rivera compares Cam Newton's lack of calls to Shaquille O'Neal

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:20 p.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

Ron Rivera didn't lose his temper when talking about Cam Newton. He didn't call out the Denver Broncos for being dirty, and he didn't try to play the role of team doctor.

However, the Carolina Panthers head coach made it very clear on Friday that his quarterback is being subjected to incredibly brutal hits simply because of his size (via NFL.com):

Ron Rivera is now at the podium

Tune in to watch live: https://t.co/Mj3FQM0Bid pic.twitter.com/nvo7pMha0Q
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 9, 2016

Shoutout to Shaq, who enters the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday. Rivera's probably right, as the "Undisputed" crew discussed on FS1 Friday. Because trying to tackle Newton is such a daunting task, defenders have to be extra physical with the Panthers QB. However, Rivera also wishes that the officials would respect Newton a little more:

While acknowledging that the officials have a very difficult job, Rivera put the onus on the league office, saying that if the NFL decides retroactively that a hit was egregious, players need to be suspended and fined — at least, if the NFL really wants to protect its players.

Newton finished Thursday night's game 18-for-33 for 194 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT through the air, plus 54 yards and 1 TD rushing. Both scores came in the first half before the Broncos dialed up their defense in the second half.

According to a report from USA Today, the league did decide that LB Brandon Marshall should have been flagged for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Newton. Outside of that, though, there's been no indication that any punishment will be handed down to any of the Broncos players. Denver's Darian Stewart has vowed to appeal any fines that might come his way as a result of the Broncos' Week 1 win over the Panthers.