Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton leaves practice early for personal matter

Carolina quarterback Cam Newton participated in nine of the Panthers’ 11 practice periods on Thursday before leaving early to attend to a personal matter.

“He went through everything that he was supposed to but he had to take off for a family situation,” Rivera said. “It’s a positive, nothing negative, nothing bad. But it’s not injury-related.”

Rivera said Newton would join the team on Saturday after the off-day for Christmas and travel with the Panthers to Atlanta for the game.

Running back Jonathan Stewart will not play in Sunday’s game after not practicing for a second straight week with a sprained foot.

Receiver Ted Ginn Jr. (quad) and defensive end Charles Johnson (calf) were full participants at practice after being limited on Wednesday.

“A guy that runs, he needs to be at the top,” Rivera said of Ginn. “And him getting the opportunity to rehab two days in a row and get some rest, get treatment, I think that paid benefits because he looked good today.”

Linebacker David Mayo did not participate due to a hamstring injury. Defensive tackle Kyle Love was a limited participant as he nears the end of the concussion protocol.

This story was originally published December 24, 2015 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton leaves practice early for personal matter."