CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Panthers leader returned to the field Thursday. Quarterback Cam Newton practiced for the first time since undergoing ankle surgery on March 19, working in 7-on-7 drills during the teams final day of minicamp. Newton said he felt sluggish on his first day back. "My mind was moving faster than my body," Newton said. Newton said his left ankle is not yet fully recovered. However, he expects to be close to full speed when training begins July 25. "Im feeling better than I thought I would at this point," Newton said. Coach Ron Rivera said Newton was a little high on his passes, but thats expected having been out for so long. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound quarterback has thrown some passes on the side during recent weeks, but this was his first time working in live drills. "He talked about feeling like hed been cooped up and finally getting a chance to spread his wings a little bit," Rivera said. "He made some good decisions, made the right reads. Just didnt deliver the ball where he needed to. That will come with time. The healthier he gets, the better he gets, the more hell be in tune with what he needs to do." Rivera said Newton was cleared to practice medically Wednesday, but none of Newtons teammates knew hed practice until he took the field Thursday. The coach said he felt it was important for Newton to practice once before the start of training camp. "It just shows the team that hes coming, hes getting ready and hes working hard to get himself ready," Rivera said. "It was good to see his teammates see him out there." Said Newton: "Today is a step forward. Moving forward, this doesnt stop for me. I have to report back here during this off-season to try to get back to 100 per cent so I can be on schedule during training camp." Carolinas wide receiver position underwent major changes this off-season, so Thursday was Newtons first chance to throw passes in a live practice to guys like Jerricho Cotchery, Jason Avant, Kelvin Benjamin and Tiquan Underwood. Center Ryan Kalil said having Newton sit out most of OTAs and minicamp is not ideal, but feels like hell have plenty of time to develop chemistry with his new group of receivers. Kalil points to Newtons rookie season in 2011 when he didnt have any OTAs or minicamp to fine tune his skills because of the NFL lockout. But Newton still went on to win Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year honours. "He played pretty well that season with a bunch of guys he hadnt thrown to before," Kalil said. "So Im not worried." Rivera said the next hurdle for Newton to clear is running. Newton, 25, has been doing most of his running inside on an underwater treadmill to alleviate any added stress on the ankle. Offensive co-ordinator Mike Shula is expected to limit Newtons reps with running plays when training camp arrives. "Were not going to force anything," Rivera said. "Weve already told the doctors they control the situation." Newton has started all 48 games for the Panthers over the last three seasons. But hes one of only a handful of returning players who are guaranteed a starting spot on offence. The Panthers still have questions to answer at both tackle spots, left guard and right guard and at all of the wide receiver positions. "Competition is healthy," Rivera said. Custom Baseball Jerseys .com) - Rajon Rondo turned in a game-high 21 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists as Dallas claimed a 102-98 win over the Lakers on Friday. Custom Texas Rangers Nike Jerseys .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/?tag=custom-detroit-tigers-nike-jerseys . The ninth-seeded Safarova doused Swede Johanna Larsson 6-2, 6-3 on the green clay at Family Circle Tennis Center. The Czech player was a finalist here two years ago and captured back-to-back doubles titles in 2012 and last year. Custom Authentic Baseball Jerseys . -- Joe Thornton scored the tiebreaking goal with 5:39 left in regulation to help the San Jose Sharks overcome a two-goal deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 on Thursday night. Custom San Francisco Giants Nike Jerseys . Ontario Superior Court Case Management Master Ronald Dash released the decision on Monday, saying John McCaw Jr. must testify in front of a jury by live video conference. Moores lawyer, Tim Danson, asked the court to compel McCaw - who is based in Seattle - to testify in the case back on February 27.DALLAS - An Oklahoma woman says in a lawsuit that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones paid her for at least four years to prevent her from reporting an alleged sexual assault.Jana Weckerlys attorney, Thomas Bowers, filed an updated lawsuit Monday that accuses Jones of forcibly touching Weckerlys genitals and kissing her on the lips without her consent more than 5 years ago, then bullying her into not reporting the alleged attack. The lawsuit seeks more than $1 million in damages.Jones has denied Weckerlys allegations and the Cowboys on Wednesday referred to an earlier statement from Jones attorney Levi McCathern calling the claims completely false.This is nothing more than an attempt to embarrass and extort Jerry Jones, McCathern said in the statement made immediately after the lawsuit was initially filed Sept. 8.Bowers did not return a phone message Wednesday afternoon. Both sides have cited a gag order issued in the case since the suit was first filed as reason for declining additional comment.The updated version of the lawsuit filedd this week, parts of which were blacked out when publicly released per a judges order, claims Jones and the Cowboys sent money to Weckerlys bank account from 2009 until at least July 2013.ddddddddddddThe lawsuit says her bank records can prove the payments occurred, though no records are included in her court filing.She also accused Jones, the Cowboys and a longtime lawyer for Jones of taking her cellphones memory card, which contained photos that were then leaked and posted on the Internet.A hearing on Friday is expected to address whether the lawsuit was filed too late due to a 5-year statute of limitations.Weckerlys updated lawsuit accuses Jones of working to keep her from reporting the assault until after the statute of limitations expired.A Dallas police spokesman on Wednesday said he could not confirm whether an assault was reported to police, citing the departments policies on keeping any such reports confidential if they are filed. The lawsuit does not say where the alleged assault occurred or on what date. ' ' '