Carolina Panthers Rumors: Cam Newton Said Ref Ed Hochuli Said He Wasn’t ‘Old Enough’ For Penalty Call

The Carolina Panthers defeated the New Orleans Saints 27-22 on Sunday to move to 3-0 on the season and they’re sitting atop the NFC South. Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton had a good game, but there was some post-game focus elsewhere. Newton said that he asked head referee Ed Hochuli about the lack of a call during the game, and the veteran ref told him he wasn’t “old enough” to get it.

ESPN reported that the 26-year-old two-time Pro Bowl quarterback thought a penalty should have been called early in the fourth quarter. Newton threw an incompletion and then was hit rather hard near the out-of-bounds marker by Saints’ defensive tackle Tyeler Davison

Newton spoke to Hochuli about the call and asked him why a personal foul wasn’t called on Davison. He was shocked by the referee’s response.

“You’re not old enough to get that call.”

“I looked at him like: ‘Jesus! I didn’t think you had to have seniority to get a personal foul or anything like that.'”

Cam Newton is 6-foot-5 and weight 255 pounds, but that doesn’t mean he should be treated any differently than any other quarterback. Still, the thing here is that Hochuli apparently didn’t keep the flag in his pocket because of the quarterback’s size, but his age.

The Charlotte Observer states that a source close to Ed Hochuli has denied making the statement to the Panthers’ quarterback. At the post-game press conference, Newton insisted that Hochuli told him those words and he was completely shocked by them.

“I was really baffled by what was said to me. I was rolling out trying to string out the play and create some type of opportunity to get a completion and the defensive lineman, you know, kind of hit me. It was close. It was right on the cusp. Was it a late hit? I don’t know. But the response that I got was, ‘Cam you’re not old enough to get that call.'”

Now, a Vine has made it online and is being passed around that shows the moment after the play during the game between the Saints and Panthers. It isn’t possible to see what Hochuli said, but he can be seen talking to Newton and then the quarterback’s shocked reaction.

Cam Newton finished the day 20-of-31 passing for 315 yards and two touchdowns along with a victory with the Carolina Panthers. As good as that stat line and getting a win are, he did say he was “ticked off” by Ed Hochulu’s response to him,

The Carolina Panthers were able to get a small victory over the New Orleans Saints who were playing without Drew Brees. In the end, the alleged conversation between Cam Newton and Ed Hochuli is what is in the spotlight, and one has to now wonder if other referees think some players aren’t “old enough” to get a call.

[Image via Getty Images – Streeter Lecka]