Cam Newton appears to take another hit to the head, but he’s the one penalized on the play [Video]

If you were an NFL quarterback — like, say, Cam Newton — and it seemed like you continued to get hit in ways NFL quarterbacks aren't supposed to get hit and nobody did anything about it, how would you react?

Would it be something like this?

Newton appeared to get hit in the head by Washington linebacker Trent Murphy while sliding to end the play — the reigning NFL MVP responded by tossing the football underhanded at Murphy while walking away.

And as you also can see a flag was thrown on the play by referee Walt Coleman. But it was on Newton for unsportsmanlike conduct, not Murphy for a helmet-to-helmet hit.

“I’ve got to be better than that,” Newton said after the 26-15 Carolina win. “That just can’t happen on my part. I just have to let the referees do their job. I thought it was a questionable hit, but yeah, I can’t throw the ball at a player. I know that’s against the rules.”

Panthers Coach Ron Rivera said of the officials: “Unfortunately, they're trying to make a decision at full speed. But at the end of the day, we've got to keep our composure.'"

Coleman said he didn't see a hit to the head as the play happened in real time.

"What I saw was that Cam slid late, and the defender went over the top,” Coleman said. “I didn’t see any forcible contact with the head.”

He added: “If they slide late, they can be contacted, but they still can't be contacted forcibly in the head. And so what we ruled was that he slid late but there was no forcible contact with the head — that he just went over the top."

Coleman was also behind a Week 5 non-call that sparked a phone conversation Newton and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. After taking a shot to the knees from Arizona’s Calais Campbell following an incomplete pass during that Oct. 30 game, Newton told reporters he was tired of not getting calls from game officials on late hits.

During the opening-night game against Denver on Sept. 8, Newton sustained three helmet-to-helmet hits, with only one of those hits drawing a flag. But that penalty was offset by an intentional grounding call on Newton.

charles.schilken@latimes.com

Twitter: @chewkiii