NBA stars famously — or infamously — get a lot of calls. Officials treat LeBron James differently than, say, Mario Chalmers, just like refs were more sensitive around Michael Jordan than Will Perdue.For the most part, the only NFL stars that referees handle differently are quarterbacks. Rookie receivers, even in this star-studded class, not so much. Panthers wideout Kelvin Benjamin has experienced a handful of officiating growing pains this year. He’s been on the wrong side of two vital pass interferences calls, and during last week’s loss to Atlanta, he was mugged in the end zone by cornerback Desmond Trufant. Somehow, the official standing there kept his flag in his pocket: “To me, it was clearly pass interference,” Panthers’ receivers coach Ricky Proehl said. “But I think it’s just getting to the point where he’s so big and strong, he doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt like some other receivers would.”Head coach Ron Rivera also wondered aloud if size affects calls the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Benjamin does or doesn’t get. “Sometimes it kind of feels like the Shaquille O’Neal treatment,” Rivera said, “He’s a big guy, and he may get hammered and he may get hit, but he doesn’t fall down. Sometimes that might play into the decision making. I’m not quite sure.” Benjamin dealt with similar issues at Florida State, but the NFL is truly next level. Defensive backs are well versed at causing contact to disturb a receiver, but usually not enough that officials notice. “They got a lot of techniques now. They try to hold your arms down. You try to get your arms off, so you try to push them off, and they call it,” Benjamin said. “As soon as I touch them, if they fly back or something, they’re going to call a push off.”It’s unclear how many no-calls defensive backs have gotten away with against Benjamin, but it’s not like he hasn’t gotten any calls. Five penalties have gone in his favor.

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1.) Week 1, at Tampa Bay, defensive pass interference, incredible touchdown catch:2.) Week 3, vs. Pittsburgh, illegal contact:3.) Week 3, vs. Pittsburgh, illegal contact:4.) Week 5, vs. Chicago, defensive pass interference:5.) Week 9, vs. New Orleans, defensive pass interference:So Benjamin has had three pass interference and two illegal contact calls go his way, but the pair of offensive pass interference calls against him this season were killers for the Panthers.

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1.) Week 4, at Baltimore, effectively kills opening drive:2.) Week 5, at Cincinnati, negates touchdown late in 3rd quarter: “The Baltimore one, I can see that one. Cincinnati, that was a bad call,” Proehl said.“[Bengals cornerback Pacman Jones] is grabbing him, and all Kelvin’s doing is getting his hands off of him. Your natural reaction is when someone’s grabbing you, to slap their hands like, ‘get off me.’ Kelvin went to get his hands off him and he ends up getting called for pass interference.“[Jones] flopped, that’s where he did a good job of flopping. But Kelvin didn’t push off. [Jones] had his hands on him as much as Kelvin was trying to get him off of him.”Benjamin’s lapses of concentration may be to blame for drops on easier opportunities, so the Panthers certainly don’t want him thinking about the officials. Staying with the basketball analogies, they’d rather have him focus on using his body to box out. “I think he’s got to use his size and strength to get in a position. It’s like getting a rebound — having his feet set to where he can go up and catch it strong,” Proehl said. “Understand there’s going to be contact, but be in a position to where he can withstand that contact and not get thrown off. And then if he does, do you tell the kid to flop? Maybe you do.”Ultimately, Benjamin hasn’t been totally hosed by officials this year. Some calls have gone his way; others haven’t. He’s big and young, but he’s also learning to establish himself. “You look at some of the veterans. Calvin Johnson, he gets a lot of calls. You look at [former Panthers receiver Steve Smith], he gets away with a lot of stuff,” Proehl said.“It’s him getting credibility, and as a rookie, he doesn’t have any yet. But as he continues to play and make plays in the red zone, refs are going to understand by watching film that, hey, this guy’s so big that these little guys are pushing him. They’re really the ones that have their hands on him more so than he’s pushing off. “It’ll come.”