Cam Newton learned an expensive lesson but it’s one that could have been much more costly.

The Carolina Panthers quarterback has been fined $21,000 by the NFL for making contact with a game official during last Sunday’s victory over the Oakland Raiders, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.

Newton bumped referee Jerome Boger while he was complaining about a call. Surprisingly, no penalty was called on the play when one was warranted. Newton, in fact, was lucky he was not ejected from the game, something that would have put his team in a difficult bind.

Surely, he will learn from the mistake and surely he’ll be tossed if it happens again.
 

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune