Report: NFL to investigate Ed Hochuli's comments to Cam Newton

The NFL could discipline veteran referee Ed Hochuli if it is proven that he told Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton he didn't get a call during a Week 3 win over the New Orleans Saints because he "wasn't old enough."

"We would do an investigation, see if anybody was miked in the area, and we've had situations in the past where an official said something inappropriate to a player and we've disciplined them," NFL vice president officiating Dean Blandino said on NFL Network on Monday. "So there is a process in place, and we would have to go through that process to see if we could pick up what was actually said."

According to Blandino, Hochuli adamantly denies making the comment after a penalty wasn't called when Newton took a big hit along the sidelines late in the fourth quarter.

"He told me that he said, 'The difference is you were running,'" Blandino said. "I think when you look at the tape it does look like Ed did say that ... at one point. You can't see everything that Ed says, but he's adamant he didn't say it, and I think that's where we are right now and we're just going to kind of move on from there."

The controversy began when Newton, 26, made the claim in his postgame press conference that Hochuli admitted not making the call because of his age.

''I'm looking at him like, 'What?' Geez, I didn't think you had to have seniority to get a personal foul or anything like that.'''