Newton's law: Can't wear tie on Turtleneck

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton wears a turtleneck sweater after the Panthers’ 40-7 loss to the
Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night. Newton was benched for the start of Sunday’s game because he did not wear a tie on the team flight to Seattle when he wore a turtleneck.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton wears a turtleneck sweater after the Panthers’ 40-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night. Newton was benched for the start of Sunday’s game because he did not wear a tie on the team flight to Seattle when he wore a turtleneck.

Ties may be rare in football, but on road trips, they're essential.

A missing necktie led to Carolina quarterback Cam Newton getting benched for one series on Sunday in Seattle.

As it turned out, Newton missed one play, but ended up 14-of-32 passing for 182 yards and 1 touchdown. Carolina, which trailed 10-7 at one point in the second quarter, saw Seattle score the final 30 points in a 40-7 blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

"We didn't lose this game because of a tie," Newton said.

Well, it didn't help either.

The Panthers' first offensive play ended up being a pass by backup Derek Anderson that deflected off fullback Mike Tolbert's hands and into the arms of linebacker Mike Morgan. The turnover led to a field goal for Seattle and was the start of an otherwise forgettable performance by the Panthers.

Newton, who's made a name for himself as something of a fashion plate (an occasionally odd fashion plate, to be sure) was punished because he did not have a necktie for the team flight to Seattle. The Panthers spent the past week in the Bay Area after their game at Oakland and made the trip up the West Coast on Friday.

"Long story short, [Coach Ron Rivera] has rules in place. In my opinion, it was a lack of communication on my part. Especially as a team captain, a person who I feel has his ear, I should have just cleared it first," Newton said after the game.

"By the time everything happened, I was just off-guard with minutes prior to the bus leaving, and I didn't have nothing to change into. We've been in California for a week and we shipped our clothes off. That was the big no-no.

"When you're 6-foot-5, trying to get a shirt ... you know, I was away from home for a week. I didn't pack a shirt. There was a lot of ties I was given, but I can't wear a tie with this," Newton said, pointing out that he was wearing a turtleneck.

"We discussed it internally with 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. And no person is greater than the next person."

Whatever the case, here's hoping that Newton keeps an extra shirt and tie in his travel gear from now on.

Stay hungry

Money is money, but some people complaining about everything.

Daily meal money for major league baseball players is being cut from $100.50 to $30 under the sport's new collective bargaining agreement, but teams are assuming the cost of providing clubhouse food spreads for home games and road trips.

The change is estimated to save players about $6,000 annually, since the cost of food at home games will be not coming from their own money.

According to ESPN's Pedro Gomez, some of the players aren't happy about it.

"I doubt many guys know about the money going down, nor would they have agreed to it," said one of several players contacted by ESPN, all of whom said they were unaware of and unhappy about the change.

Free-agent pitcher Brett Anderson expressed his dissatisfaction with the new rules on his Twitter account. "Worst Christmas present ever," he posted Sunday night.

Players have long paid "clubhouse dues" to cover the cost of spreads, which averaged $70 per day per player this year. Many pay additional tips to clubhouse managers, money redistributed to all the clubhouse attendants.

That's right. Under the new rules, players will pay less, and get paid less in return. That's what's called a push.

Sports quiz

Since 1974, which NFL team has been involved in the most games that ended in a tie?

Answer

The Philadelphia Eagles have been in four tied games (1984, 1986, 1997, 2008)

Sports on 12/06/2016

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