Newton: Hits 'taking the fun out of the game,' refs not keeping me safe

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton sounded off against what he said are NFL officials failing to keep him safe during games.

Newton was angered by a play during Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals in which lineman Calais Campbell lunged at Newton's legs. The play was not flagged.

"I could have torn an ACL. That was the breaking point for me," Newton told reporters after the game, according to Steve Reed of The Associated Press.

"It's really taking the fun out of the game for me. At times, it's not safe. I'm going to talk to commissioner Goodell about this," Newton said, according to Mike Persinger of the Charlotte Observer.

Newton and his Panthers teammates have long maintained that hits that would draw flags for other quarterbacks are not penalized when they happen to Newton.