CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Cam Newton said he couldn’t throw the ball more than 30 yards last season because of an injured shoulder, which left him exposed to opposing defenses.
Newton said in a 10-minute video it was “the most disheartening thing out of the whole year.”
The Panthers quarterback launched a new You Tube channel Thursday, detailing events before and after his surgery on Jan. 24 to repair a nagging right shoulder problem.
Newton had arthroscopic surgery to clean out cartilage around the labrum and rotator cuff.
The video shows Newton driving a Porsche on the way to hospital the morning of the surgery, his emotions pouring out as he describes how badly he wants to get healthy.
He’s shown before surgery in a hospital gown and afterward with a doctor, who tells him, “the cartilage damage was not extensive as we had feared. … but it was pretty swollen. So if we can get the motion back and keep it, then we will be pretty good.”
Newton said he felt “weak” and “vulnerable” at times last season, not fully understanding why he was in pain. But he kept playing, unwilling to give up on the season and a chance at the playoffs.
He said the injury impacted his personal life, including not wanting to be around family.
“I backed myself into a hole and I was hurting,” Newton said.
A few weeks after surgery, Newton was more upbeat and talked about his NFL future.
“A lot of people are saying they have seen the best of Cam Newton,” Newton said. “I’m not here to knock on doors; I’m here to kick the (expletives) down. Seeing the doubt and hearing the whispers … fuels me. That is what makes this comeback more extraordinary for me. That is what is going to make me even more dangerous.”
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