Cam Newton spent the past week in the NFL's concussion protocol following a violent helmet-to-helmet hit on the goal line in Week 4's loss to the Falcons.
The reigning MVP was unable to get cleared in time for Monday night's painful home loss to the Buccaneers, but we did get a snapshot of progress in the form of a Newton sighting in downtown Charlotte on Monday afternoon.
You'll notice Newton is traveling on a busy city street without a helmet. This would be discouraged under normal circumstances, but seems doubly misguided for a man currently recovering from a brain injury.
During Tuesday's post-mortem press conference, Panthers coach Ron Rivera was asked about Newton's abstention from protective headgear.
Rivera replied: "He's an adult and we'll go from there."
Translation: Someone gettin' called into the principal office today.
