Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is hoping to challenge his body and his mind by abstaining from sex this month believing it will improve his game as he returns after an injury.
On the Late Late Show With James Corden, Newton discussed his recovering from a shoulder injury. According to the Washington Post, last season, Newton labored through the injury until it became too much to bear, the team shutting him down in mid-December. During the off-season, Newton found himself receiving surgery, but will be ready for the team-opener come fall with the help of veganism and…abstinence?
“In March — and I hope this is an adult crowd — no climax,” Newton said. “I’m going through a transition right now.”
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Former Angel and Bones actor, David Boreanaz, who was sitting next to Newton, suggested that maybe the baller should have chosen the shortest month in the year to pursue such an endeavor. But Newton claimed he purposefully chose a longer month to increase the level of difficulty.
“I wanted it to be challenging,” Newton responded. “It makes my mind stronger. So when the season comes around, I say if I did those things, I’m mentally stronger.”
It is unclear whether or not Newton’s abstaining from sex would actually help him prepare for the upcoming football season, but a leading sexologist seems to believe there is no evidence to support such a theory.
“I would know about this if there was something scientifically to it,” Beverly Whipple, who has a PhD in psychobiology, told the Post.
Yet a different expert told the Post that there might be something of a placebo effect with such a plan.
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“When it comes to sexuality, you always have to look at biological, psychological, and social stuff,” Nan Wise, who has a PhD in cognitive neuroscience, said. “Here’s a place where the power of belief is going to determine what people experience, and their experience is going to confirm their belief. For people who believe that abstinence is going to help them, the belief itself may be driving some of the benefits.”
Either way, we are sure that Newton is truly putting himself to the test.