Was Hurney right to defend medical staff over Newton?

Was general manager Marty Hurney right to defend the medical staff over their handling of former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton?

The bitterness surrounding Cam Newton’s release by the Carolina Panthers has stepped up a notch this week. The franchise parted ways with the quarterback after a long association with the organization two months ago and he is yet to find a new team.

This decision was met with derision by certain sections of the fanbase. It has also seen ex-Carolina Panthers players such as Greg Olsen and Steve Smith question the timing that undoubtedly compromised Newton’s ability to secure a starting job immediately elsewhere.

Some have even gone a step further in their criticism of the Panthers. Full-back Mike Tolbert slammed the organization in a recent article by Joe Person of The Athletic regarding their handling of Newton’s injuries over the last two seasons.

"“They’ve been doing him wrong timing-wise for the past two or three years, if you ask me. It goes back to his shoulder surgery. Everyone knew his shoulder was messed up in the middle of the year two years ago. But they wait until offseason gets ready to start to have shoulder surgery. As soon as he got hurt (last) preseason against the Patriots, they were saying, “Oh, he’s got a high ankle sprain.” But you wait ‘til December for him to beg you to have surgery. He shouldn’t have been out there Week 1 and 2. He shouldn’t have been out there probably ‘til Week 4 or 5, at minimum.”"

Hurney responded to Tolbert’s accusations on radio show WFNZ, where he seemed to defend the way they approached the 2015 NFL MVP’s injury problems during what turned out to be his final two seasons with the franchise.

"“I understand. Everyone is going to have their opinions, and they’re certainly entitled to them. I have great respect for our medical staff and I have great respect for Cam Newton.”"

How could Hurney’s comments regarding former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton be interpreted?

It should come as no surprise to see Hurney come to the defense of the Carolina Panthers medical team. Anything else would have case huge aspersions on the way things are run and the fingers would be pointed squarely at the general manager.

There will come a time when all this dies down and Newton’s glittering time with the franchise can be remembered with the fondness it deserves. This doesn’t look like it’s going to happen anytime soon. And the longer the signal-caller is on the free-agent market, questions such as this will remain.

Whether Hurney and the medical staff could have handled the situation better regarding Newton’s health is up for debate. A player of this magnitude would no doubt have had a huge say in the direction things eventually went. So this also needs to be taken into consideration.

Newton has a competitive mindset. And he wanted to be out on the field every time the player was able. This might have come to his detriment at times. But it is part of the characteristics that made him such a phenomenon in Carolina.

Hurney’s defense of the medical staff was expected. And the general manager is definitely privy to more information than the likes of Tolbert. However, this latest set of opinions has further soured Newton and the Panthers going their separate ways this offseason.

And this is the biggest shame of all.