Riverboat Ron isn’t taking any chances.
Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera revealed Monday that he recently banned his players from using hoverboards inside Bank of America Stadium. The ban was installed to ensure the Panthers don’t suffer any freak injuries amid their quest to achieve Super Bowl glory.
“Have you seen those things on YouTube blowing up?” Rivera told reporters. “I mean, that’s what concerns me more than anything else. What if something crazy happens?”
The odds of someone injuring themselves on a hoverboard before Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Arizona Cardinals seem low, yet there’s enough evidence on the Internet to suggest Rivera is making the right call by banning the popular transportation devices. Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson recently learned the hard way that even the toughest guys on the planet aren’t immune to wiping out, and there have been several instances of hoverboards catching fire.
“So the truth is what happened was somebody told me about them igniting,” Rivera said, according to ESPN.com. “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.”
The various horror stories were enough for Rivera to pull the plug, but the reality is the Panthers who frequently ride hoverboards — a group that includes star quarterback Cam Newton — might have no one to blame but themselves for the ban.
“I will say this, too,” Rivera said. “I caught them drag racing in the freaking hallway one time, too.”
NFL players put their bodies through enough on gameday. There’s no sense adding any unnecessary risks.
Thumbnail photo via Jeremy Brevard/USA TODAY Sports Images
