Carolina Panthers fans (and Cam Newton fantasy football owners) were baffled last night when Derek Anderson trotted out on the field for the opening series against the Seahawks last night while a healthy Cam Newton stood on the sidelines.
It wasn't immediately clear why Cam was benched for the opening drive but after last night's 40-7 loss, Panthers head coach Ron River revealed that Cam was benched because of "a travel dress code violation." AKA, he didn't wear a tie on the team flight.
Cam also spoke about the incident after the crushing loss to Seattle, saying he was away from home and didn't pack a shirt, and couldn't wear a tie with the turtleneck that he had picked out. He also mentioned that he wore a similar outfit earlier in the season and wasn't punished for it, although he respects Rivera's decision.
Just another bizarre event in Carolina's nightmare season.