Panthers Nation in Uproar: Cam Newton’s Super Bowl XL Comments Spark a Firestorm of Controversy
Carolina Panthers fans aren’t happy with the latest comments from Cam Newton.
The former Panthers quarterback was asked on Thursday by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith if he’d trade the NFL MVP Award he won in 2015 for a Super Bowl championship.
Newton, who led the Panthers to a 15-1 record and an NFC Championship in 2015, quickly replied “nope”.
The former Auburn standout reasoned that winning the MVP means he “did his job” and held up his end of the “bargain”.
“If we’re being honest, the impact of you holding yourself accountable to say everybody has a responsibility to do and you can say, as an MVP award winner or an All-American, you’ve held your end of the bargain down,” said Newton. “And that’s what it really comes down to for me. I know that’s not the popular pick. I’m not trying to be popularized. But my take is I’m taking individual success because I did my job.”
It’s no surprise that Newton’s take isn’t going over well in Carolina.
I understand what Newton is saying — the MVP award shows that he did his job at the highest level in 2015.
But come on, Cam. Winning a Super Bowl is the pinnacle of being a pro football player. In the words of Herm Edwards, you play to win the game.
Hello, Cam.
You. Play. To. Win. The. Game.
And the Super Bowl is THE GAME.
There are a lot of pro athletes who won MVP awards but never won championships who would trade that MVP trophy for a championship trophy in a heartbeat.
Karl Malone once said he would trade one of his MVPs for an NBA championship. Dan Marino said a decade after his career ended that he still thinks about never winning a Super Bowl. Charles Barkley once said his biggest regret was not winning an NBA Championship with the Phoenix Suns.
I’m sorry Cam, you’re misguided on this one. There’s nothing better in pro sports than leading your team to a championship. That MVP trophy might look nice on a mantle, but it’s nothing compared to holding the Lombardi Trophy at the end of a hard-fought season.
