Brandon Marshall, Darian Stewart will appeal fines for hits on Cam Newton
The Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers played a physical game this past Thursday, as Panthers quarterback Cam Newton took some tough shots — but the men fined for them would prefer not to pay.
The Denver Broncos are regarded as one of the best teams in the NFL, and during the 2016 NFL season opener on Thursday Night Football, they brought the hammer down on the Panthers. Specifically, it was Cam Newton who took the brunt of the hits, though some appeared to be illegal. It seemed like Newton was picking himself off of the ground the entire game, and now a couple of the Broncos will have to pay for it.
Linebacker Brandon Marshall and defensive back Darian Stewart were each levied with fines for their hits on Newton during the Broncos 21-20 win. The hit Marshall was fined for occurred in the third quarter of the game, though he was not flagged. Stewart’s hit brought the most attention, mostly because it was to the head with under 40 seconds left in the game.
Newton appeared dazed after the Stewart hit, but he stayed in to finish the rest of the game. The Panthers last-second field goal by Graham Gano from 50 yards was no good. Carolina has come under some criticism for not taking Newton out of the game, but they felt he was fine, and he has not been in concussion protocol since.
Stewart has been fined $18,231 by the NFL for the helmet-to-helmet hit, while Marshall was fined $24,309 for impermissible use of the helmet. Both players have stated the plan to appeal the fine, with Marshall stating it is just too much money not to.
“That’s a huge fine, I know what it looks like, it looked bad, but that’s a lot of money, so yes I’m upset about it,” Marshall told reporters on Wednesday.
The hits on Newton were pretty rough, and they have garnered national attention. Several teammates have spoken out on the hits, and Newton’s father, Cecil, said his son was being treated unfairly by the officials during the game. Newton is a huge guy, so perhaps the refs do officiate him differently. One thing is for sure: The hits to the head have to stop.
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