Newton gains phone audience with Goodell
Cam Newton got the phone call he wanted.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spoke via telephone with Newton about the Carolina quarterback’s concerns about not being protected by game officials from hits while in the pocket, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
The phone call came yesterday, but it’s unclear exactly what they discussed.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy declined comment.
Newton criticized league officials after Carolina’s 30-20 win against Arizona on Sunday, saying he doesn’t feel safe in the pocket because officials are treating him differently than other quarterbacks in the league by not throwing flags when he takes an illegal hit.
He said after the game he planned to talk to Goodell about his concerns.
Newton said he reached his breaking point when Cardinals defensive tackle Calais Campbell tackled him below the knees as he released the football.
Campbell was not penalized.
It was reminiscent of the hit that sidelined Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for the season in 2008.
“I could have torn my ACL,” Newton said Sunday.
Jets come and go
The Jets backfield was in serious motion yesterday, with Knile Davis coming — and then going — and C.J. Spiller set to head to New York.
Just a few hours after claiming Davis off waivers from the Green Bay Packers to bolster their running back spot, the Jets reached an agreement with Spiller, a person with direct knowledge of the team’s plans told the AP.
Davis will be waived when the Jets sign Spiller today, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced its plans.
The person told the AP that New York was in discussions earlier yesterday to sign Spiller but had not received a firm commitment. So the Jets claimed Davis as insurance — a couple of hours before reaching an agreement with Spiller, who was released by Seattle last Wednesday after being signed on Sept. 28.
Lions DE suspended
Lions defensive end Armonty Bryant was suspended three games for violating the NFL’s policy on substances of abuse. Detroit signed Bryant last month. He was cut by Cleveland at the end of a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
The Lions indicated that this suspension was not related to anything that happened since Bryant joined the team. . . .
Redskins left tackle Trent Williams was suspended four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
It’s his second four-game suspension and first since 2011. He tested positive for marijuana multiple times during the summer of 2011 and served it that season. . . .
Eagles wide receiver Josh Huff was charged with possession of a 9 mm handgun without a permit and having a small amount of marijuana after he was pulled over for speeding on the New Jersey side of the Walt Whitman Bridge around 11 a.m. yesterday.
Charles heads to IR
Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles was placed on injured reserve after developing some swelling in his surgically repaired right knee.
The four-time Pro Bowl running back will miss at least eight weeks, meaning he could return in time for the end of the regular season and the playoffs. . . .
Receiver Percy Harvin came out of retirement and was back on the practice field after signing a one-year contract with the Bills. . . .
The Buccaneers traded cornerback Johnthan Banks to the Lions for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2018 draft. . . .
Coach Mike Zimmer is recovering from what the Vikings have called a “minor medical procedure” performed the morning after the team’s loss at Chicago.