Cam Newton is afraid of baseballs, not afraid of 280-pound linebackers
According to an interview with ESPN, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was a huge baseball fan as a kid, playing center field, third base and shortstop. He might have followed through with that passion if not for a debilitating fear of being hit with a pitch.
I quit baseball at 14 because I was afraid of the pitches. The kids started getting better and throwing faster, and it would've hurt getting hit by that ball, so I stopped playing.
Keep in mind that that Cam Newton's current occupation requires this kind of thing a weekly basis. And that's a positive outcome. When things go poorly, it looks more like this. Even the smaller defenders hit with a ton of force -- literally.
Yes, baseball is a physical sport with its own dangers. But Cam -- you're, well, just listen …
-- Dakota Gardner / MLB.com
(h/t Big League Stew)