Plaxico Burress recently sold his Super Bowl ring for a staggering $280,600 at auction amid financial struggles. Many fans have been shocked and heartbroken by Burress’ decision, considering it was he who caught the game-winning TD to help the New York Giants win Super Bowl XLII. But now, more than 16 years later, that very symbol of triumph has a new owner—much to the dismay of the NFL community.
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Cam Newton, however, had a different take—one that focused less on sentiment and more on reality. For the former Panthers QB, Burress selling his ring wasn’t a blog deal, as he saw it as a sound and necessary business decision.
In the latest episode of 4th&1 With Cam Newton, the former NFL MVP reminded football fans that the Super Bowl ring, like any other asset you create in this world, cannot be taken with you to the grave.
So in Newton’s eyes, judging Burress’ decision from an emotional lens makes no sense, as tangible assets have always been temporary in nature—their expiration date coincides with your death, he argued.
“It is what it is—you got to make some grown-up as* decisions. You can’t take it with you, and the ring ain’t going with you. We buried my grandmother, and I ain’t see no U-Haul. She was an antique lover, but she couldn’t take that with her. You came into this world by yourself, and you’re going to leave by yourself. I ain’t never seen no bunk beds in a hearse,” said the former Panther QB.
But what about the Super Bowl ring being a symbolic representation of your greatness? One could argue that selling the ring away dents your legacy. Newton, however, begged to differ, asserting that true legacy isn’t defined by jewelry—it’s etched in the record books.
In his view, people remember athletes for their achievements, not for the trophies or rings they own. Just as Newton’s signature hats are fleeting, so too are material symbols like championship rings.
“Being in the record books is more solidifying than just saying, ‘Hey, I got one of these.’ Man, so do hundreds of other players. When you put it in the grand scheme of things, that ring is just a symbol—an afterthought. At the end of the day, once next year comes, nobody’s really going to remember who all was on this Philadelphia Eagles team.”
Plaxico Burress’s decision sheds light on a harsh truth in professional sports that even champions aren’t immune to financial struggles. As Newton noted, most players retire in their mid-30s but live well into their 80s, like his grandma. In such a scenario, it’s unsurprising for an athlete like Burress to make such a decision if they haven’t invested their career earnings wisely.
For Newton, the former Steelers can be criticized for reaching this financial stage than for his desperate decision. The Panthers icon continued justifying the decision to sell the ring as a sound financial decision.
“If you’re hurting and trying to liquidate your assets, it happens all the time in business,” Newton explained. “As a businessman, you start thinking, ‘Damn, what do I have that’s valuable? What can hold some type of value that I can get money from?’”
All that said, rings don’t pay your bills; smart financial decisions do. As much as it sucks to see Plaxico Burress selling a legacy-defining silverware, objectively, he did make the right call to sell it.
