Fan who dressed as post-crash Cam Newton explains himself

Panthers fan Mark Middlesworth thought it would be a good idea to cover his face in fake blood, put on a neck brace and wear a steering wheel around his neck for Sunday's game. You know, like a car crash victim, just like Cam Newton. 

But people who think Middlesworth was making light of the accident where Newton fractured two bones in his back have it all wrong. 

Courtesy of BlackAndBlueReview.com

"We felt that Derek Anderson needed some promotion," Middlesworth explained to Black and Blue Review, a website that takes its name from the Panthers' colors, not the bruises of car crash survivors. "The one thing that they didn’t get into the pictures that are going around is the sign that was attached to it. The sign read, ‘When Mayhem strikes, better get Anderson.’ It was written in the Allstate font, and it read, ‘You’re in good hands with Anderson. It was all a spoof on Allstate commercials, and people took it the wrong way."

OK, man. Whatever you say.

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Middlesworth said he wouldn't have worn the costume if Newton had been seriously injured. Maybe three fractured bones is where he draws the line. 

"In hindsight," he added, "it could have been a little less tasteless."

- Dan Gartland