Carolina Panthers

12:31 PM PT -- Cam suffered two "transverse fractures" in his lower back and will remain in the hospital overnight ... according to the Carolina Panthers.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was hospitalized after his truck was flipped over in a car wreck Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Officials say two cars were involved in the wreck ... Cam's truck and a sedan ... which collided on a bridge right in front of Bank of America Stadium where the Panthers play.

Cam was seen on his back on the side of the bridge where the accident took place ... grimacing in pain. Several people were seen tending to the 25-year-old QB.

We're told Cam kept trying to stand up after the accident ... but couldn't ... and eventually relented and waited for help to arrive.

Multiple emergency vehicles raced to the scene. Cam reportedly told paramedics he did NOT want to be transported to the hospital ... but eventually gave in.

He was placed on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance which rushed him to a nearby hospital.

As for the condition of the other driver, officials tell us the person was also transported to the hospital -- but did not suffer any life-threatening injuries.

A witness at the scene tells TMZ Sports ... Newton was "t-boned" from the left side, swerved, and then flipped over.

The witness says he observed Cam crawling out of the back window of the truck ... he walked over to the curb and laid down.

The witness says, "Cam didn't blow any lights or stop signs" and believes Cam had the right of way through the intersection where he was struck.

Story developing ...

The Carolina Panthers have decided to DEACTIVATE superstar defensive end Greg Hardy because of his domestic violence conviction -- a decision that was made by the team Sunday morning and it seems fairly obvious it's all because of the Ray Rice situation.

Back in July, a North Carolina judge found Hardy guilty of attacking his girlfriend and threatening her life during an altercation in May -- but the Panthers and the NFL decided not to punish Hardy while he appealed the decision and pursued a jury trial.

Translation -- THEY SAT ON THEIR HANDS AND DID NOTHING FOR MONTHS.

But now, in the wake of the Ray Rice scandal -- and a public outcry against the NFL for taking too light of a stance against domestic violence -- the Panthers have decided to deactivate Hardy for today's game.

As for the incident, Hardy's ex had claimed he beat the living crap out of her and threatened to kill her during a jealous late-night rage.

The woman had testified that Hardy got angry that night when he heard a Nelly song at a nightclub -- which angered him because the woman had briefly dated the rapper when she was on a break from Hardy.

Story developing ...

DeAngelo Williams didn't just kill the Giants this year ... he also slaughtered some deer, turkey, rabbit and duck ... 'cause the Carolina Panthers running back is a hardcore hunting machine.

"I hunt all year round," Williams tells TMZ Sports ... "In season, out of season. I hunt everything."

He's not kidding ... Williams documents his kills on social media -- posting photos of the animals he tracks down and shoots.

But Williams insists he doesn't just hunt for the hell of it -- "I shoot to eat. If you kill it, you eat it. I tell my friends, if you kill a skunk, you eat it."

“I make my own jerky. My specialty is deer jerky. My 3-year-old loves it.”

The 30-year-old Arkansas native says it's all part of his obsession with nature -- "There’s no traffic, no people. Right before you pull the trigger you almost feel one with the animal.”

"Last year I shot a 20 pound turkey!"

It's been a GREAT couple of weeks for Carolina Panthers kicker Graham Gano ... 'cause right before he signed his new $12 MILLION contract, his wife gave birth to their 2nd kid ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Graham tells us ... right after his son was born (the couple's 2nd boy) ... some of his Panthers teammates sent fancy baby gifts to the house ... including a Mamaroo, courtesy of linebacker Chase Blackburn. Apparently, babies love those things.

Graham says ... even ex-teammates hooked baby Gano up with some fresh gear, including former Panthers defensive end Everett Brown -- who sent several boxes of gifts.

As for how Gano plans to celebrate the new contract, Graham tells us he can't really go crazy because of the kid -- but he does have some bachelor parties coming up and hopes his wife will give him a break from baby duty to let him go.

Yeah, good luck with that!!

Fear not NFL fans -- the giant prostitution sting in NYC will NOT ruin Super Bowl week ... so says Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams.

As we previously reported, cops in the Big Apple just busted a dozen hookers who had allegedly been advertising their "services" all over town ... a huge blow to people hoping to bang whores during the big weekend.

But Williams has a message to those who will affected by the sudden ho shortage -- it's ok, you'll get through it.

Peterson is set to face the Carolina Panthers any moment now -- and judging by the video ... fans inside the arena are gonna go OFF when AP hits the field.

As we previously reported ... Adrian insisted on playing in today's game following the death of his 2-year-old son and earlier today said, "God wants good to come from it."

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton knows ... he's gotta have a backup plan if the whole NFL thing doesn't work out ... so he's heading back to college.

Newton -- who blew off school to become the #1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft -- has re-enrolled at Auburn University for the spring semester to continue working on his sociology degree.

FYI -- Newton signed a 4-year, $22 million contract with the Panthers when he first left Auburn ... and has undoubtedly racked up millions more through various endorsement deals.

Still, it's clear Newton knows you can't put a price on a good education ... and made the decision to go back.

A rep for the school told the Associated Press Cam won't be talking to the media about his decision because he just "wants to focus on school and be a normal student."