Patriots quarterback Cam Newton has dealt with a slew of injuries over the past several seasons. One of those injuries was a partially torn rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder he suffered while with the Panthers in 2016.
While having surgery to repair the surgery in the following offseason, Newton shared in a YouTube video he released Friday that his throwing shoulder didn’t feel fully healthy until the start of the 2020 season.
“I’m healthy,” Newton said in the video, which was filmed in September 2020. “The last time I’ve been healthy, that I can document, honestly, (was) 2016 and ’17. That’s just a fact.
“After that damn San Diego game — we played the San Diego Chargers, (and) I reached out and I dove (after) I threw an interception, I messed up my AC joint. And ever since then, bro, it’s just been a part of me that’s been like a wounded dog, like a wounded lion all over the place. Not right.”
Newton also dealt with an injury in his throwing shoulder in the 2018 season, which saw the Panthers lose six straight games after going 6-2 to start the season. Newton was deactivated for the final two games of the year and had surgery again that offseason.
During the span that he dealt with those shoulder injuries, Newton said his running game was affected, too.
“I feel good at times, but when I’m running, I still feel it,” Newton said. “Instead of running them over (with my right shoulder), I’m going to turn [my left shoulder] and go down.”
Newton did have some stellar rushing numbers in 2020, rushing for 592 yards and 12 touchdowns (the second-best of his career). However, Newton’s passing numbers were among the worst of his career. He threw for 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
In addition to poor throwing stats, Newton did deal with some injuries and medical concerns in 2020. He missed a game after testing positive for COVID-19 and had arm and abdomen injuries later in the year. The arm and abdomen injuries didn’t force Newton to miss any games.
Newton also had a Lisfranc fracture in 2019 that cut his season short after two games.
