CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was taken to a hospital after the truck he was traveling in crashed in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday, police said.
He was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department spokesman Rob Tufano. Newton’s truck and a sedan were involved in the wreck.
“It would appear the car rolled over. The accident is being investigated,” he said.
There was no word on what caused the wreck in uptown Charlotte, a block from Bank of America Stadium where the Panthers play, but witnesses told CNN affiliate WSOC they saw Newton’s vehicle flip four times.
WSOC published an image of a dark-colored truck lying on its side in the roadway.
Another car with damage to its front end was loaded onto a flatbed, CNN affiliate WBTV reported, and Tufano told the station that the driver of the other vehicle was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
The extent of Newton’s injuries was not immediately clear. The Charlotte Observer tweeted an image of Newton lying on his side smiling.
WBTV reported that Newton was placed on a stretcher and loaded onto an ambulance after the crash, which occurred around 12:30 p.m. ET. A Charlotte police source told the station Newton was not injured and was taken to the hospital only as a precaution.
The Carolina Panthers tweeted, “We are closely monitoring the situation of a car wreck involving Cam Newton. We will have more information at an appropriate time.”
Newton shot to fame in 2010, leading the Auburn Tigers to an undefeated national championship season. He’d go on to win the Heisman Trophy, given to the best player in college football, and was drafted No. 1 by the Carolina Panthers in 2011, making him the first player to accomplish all three feats in the same year.
After signing a four-year, $22 million deal with the Panthers in 2011, the Atlanta native showed his prowess as both a passer and a rusher, racking up more than 4,000 yards throwing and more than 700 yards running, snaring Rookie of the Year honors.
This year, beset by injuries, his numbers have dropped off, and the Panthers are 4-8-1 going into this weekend’s games. He arguably had his best game of the season Sunday against the division rival New Orleans Saints, throwing three touchdown passes and rushing for another.
Despite their dismal record, the Panthers are still in the playoff hunt because of the weak competition in the NFC South.
