Ron Rivera bans hoverboards inside Panthers' facility
CHARLOTTE -- Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera recently banned players being on hoverboards inside Bank of America Stadium after seeing them blow up on YouTube.
He also strongly suggested players not ride hoverboards to and from work from their homes as quarterback Cam Newton is known to do.
Rivera doesn't want any freakish accidents as the Panthers (16-1) prepare to face Arizona (14-3) on Sunday in the NFC Championship.
"Have you seen those things on YouTube blowing up?" Rivera said on Monday. "I mean that's what concerns me more than anything else. What if something crazy happens?
"I will say this, too. I caught them drag racing in the freaking hallway one time, too."
Rivera wouldn't say which players he caught. But among those most commonly seen riding the hoverboards around the facility are Newton, cornerback Josh Norman, safety Tre Boston and safety Roman Harper.
"So the truth is what happened was somebody told me about them igniting," Rivera said. "So I go on YouTube and found them. They also showed the ones with people falling off, the ones with people making sharp turns and somebody standing there and running into them.
"I can't imagine. We still have some that ride them to and from work. I'm trying to get them not to, but they do. But inside the facility we don't want them running around."
Rivera learned last season about unforeseen accidents when Newton was involved in a car wreck in early December. Newton missed one game with two small fractures in his lower back.
"We don't want something crazy to happen," Rivera said. "We're trying to limit their exposure to injuries."
