CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton said he doesn't plan to change the way he runs because of the concussion that sidelined him for the Oct. 10 game against Tampa Bay.
The NFL MVP did promise his mother, Jackie Newton, that he will avoid taking the kind of hit that led to the concussion by never again letting up as he approaches the end zone.
"Part of me is happy for [the concussion], just to know and go through it and to show so many people this is a real issue and this is a real problem,'' Newton said on Wednesday, the first time he has spoken to reporters about the concussion, which occurred in the fourth quarter Oct. 2 in a game at Atlanta.
"And part of me is like, 'That was preventable. Just run through the damn end zone Cam, and everything will be all right.' After talking to Jackie Newton, that won't happen again.''
Newton acknowledged that the helmet-to-helmet hit he took from Atlanta linebacker Deion Jones as he attempted to score on a 2-point conversion could have been avoided had he not let up as he approached the goal line.
He said he didn't see Jones coming in time to brace for the hit.
"I try to describe it as I felt like I got sucker punched,'' Newton said. "Everybody has a brace, just an automatic reaction that your body goes to when you get scared.
"When I looked back at it, I was trying to brace for the hit, and before I could it was just ... bam! It happened! I was down and like, 'Man ...' I didn't even know if I scored. That's when I knew I was messed up.''
According to ESPN Stats and Information, Newton has been hit 836 times since entering the NFL in 2011. The next closest quarterback, Seattle's Russell Wilson, has been hit nearly 300 fewer times.
Newton said this was the first time of having his "bell rung'' since he began playing football at age 7.
He made it clear he won't stop being the dual-threat quarterback just to avoid contact that could lead to another concussion.
Newton has rushed for 46 touchdowns, the most by a quarterback in NFL history, and 3,355 yards.
"I look at certain quarterbacks throughout the league and say, 'Dang, I wish I could do that,'" Newton said. "Man, I wish I could win football games and make it look so cool like Tom Brady. Man, I wish I had the throwing accuracy or throwing style like a Matt Stafford or Aaron Rodgers.'
"But my edge is running the football inside the tackles. ... That's going to forever be my edge in this league. That makes defenses prepare for extra things. So when you take that away, then the defense is like, 'Yes! We don't have to prepare for a [running] quarterback.' ''
Newton called the concussion a "lesson learned.'' He said the concussion protocol return was different from anything he's been through.
"Some side effects are different than others,'' said Newton, who also said he planned to use his influence and foundation to promote awareness for concussions at the lower levels of football. "I didn't have any headaches. I wasn't depressed. But it was just certain things that were happening, and it was like, 'It's not normal.'
"And just when you think you're OK, it's like, 'Oh, whoa! What's this?' '' Newton said. "You still have that feeling.''
Newton called the experience a wakeup call, just as he did the car wreck that sidelined him for a game against Tampa Bay in 2014.
It made him aware of how precious his time is with his 1 ½-year-old son Chosen, who is "expecting me to be daddy for a long time for him.''
"So that was the big picture for me,'' Newton said.
Newton has shared some of his thoughts with left tackle Michael Oher, who has missed three games and isn't expected back Sunday for the game against Arizona, because of a concussion.
"I'm praying for him,'' Newton said. "I'm hoping everything works out in our favor, but more importantly in his favor.