CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has been on the mend after suffering a concussion during this month's Atlanta Falcons game.
Channel 9 talked to a former NFL mother who hopes he doesn't rush his recovery.
Fostoria Pierson is proud to show-off everything she collected during the years her son, Michael Booker, played as cornerback from a star at Nebraska, to a first-round draft-pick and five years in the NFL.
But his football career is over and his mother blames it on many of the hard hits he took while playing.
"He's throwing things," she explained. "He's just angry. His attention span. He's yelling and screaming. "
Pierson said her son has permanent damage, and even symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, also known as CTE, after suffering multiple concussions during his time on the field.
CTE has been in the spotlight following many former players' recent diagnoses and in some cases it's even led to suicides.
That's Pierson's biggest fear for her son.
"I don't want to get a call from you that my son has either put a gun to his head, or drove his vehicle off the cliff," she said.
Since her son's football career ended after taking repeated hits, he continues to have headaches, and even sudden outbursts.
Head coach Ron Rivera said the Panthers are following NFL rules for concussion protocol, almost two weeks after this big hit that took Newton out of the Atlanta Falcons game.
"It's all about how he reacts to everything and he's got to finish up seeing the specialist that he's supposed to see," Rivera said.
But Pierson just wants to encourage him not to rush back on the field.
"I love Cam, and I know he's the star quarterback for the Panthers, but his life is more important than a contract," she said.