Newton says booing Manziel injury ‘classless’
Carolina quarterback Cam Newton said the Panthers fans who cheered when Johnny Manziel injured his hamstring in the second quarter are “classless.”
Manziel did not return to the game after the injury.
“I was saddened to see the crowd’s response to when he got hurt,” Newton said. “It was classless. Anytime when a person gets hurt you don’t celebrate. … For the crowd to respond in that sort of way – we’re better than that.”
Manziel was injured with 1:49 left in the first half Sunday when he rolled out to his left side, and linebacker Luke Kuechly and safety Colin Jones converged on the rookie and took him to the ground. He attempted to get up and then fell back down.
Brian Hoyer took over at quarterback and had one touchdown pass and one interception in the 17-13 loss.
Manziel emerged from the locker room after halftime still in uniform but remained on the bench.
The Browns were losing 10-3 at the time of the injury.
Dolphins owner sticking with Philbin
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross stood on the sideline at the end of Sunday’s wild victory sharing a laugh with those around him, his mind made up regarding the direction of the franchise.
He’s keeping his coach.
The Dolphins will sit out the playoffs for the sixth year in a row despite Sunday’s 37-35 victory over Minnesota, but afterward Ross announced Joe Philbin will return for a fourth season as coach.
“We’re building something great here,” Ross said in the locker room. “He’s the right guy. … I believe in this team. I believe in the coach.”
Extra points
Two Giants players and one Rams player were ejected after a short brawl when Odell Beckham Jr. was tackled late out of bounds after a short reception. Wide receiver Preston Parker and defensive end Damontre’ Moore were ejected for New York while Rams defensive end William Hayes was booted. … Tony Romo has surpassed Troy Aikman as the career leader in yards passing for the Cowboys. Romo set the record on his fourth touchdown pass Sunday against the Colts, a 25-yarder to tight end Jason Witten. The TD put him at 32,961 yards, 19 more than the three-time Super Bowl winner.