Cam Newton is continuing to take the world of sports media by storm with his most recent string of comments pertaining to Jalen Hurts, MVP awards, and Super Bowl rings. His 4th & 1 Podcast is steadily becoming one of the most popular programs in its genre, and in light of that success, the former Carolina Panther is now doubling down on his past takes.
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Newton made headlines for claiming that he would never be willing to trade in his 2015 regular season MVP award in exchange for a victory against the Denver Broncos at Super Bowl 50, causing the analysts and fans alike to attack him for his selfishness. According to the former All Pro, however, the media got it all wrong.
“Everybody’s trying to paint this picture of Cam being a selfish player,” he exclaimed during his most recent episode, “and that’s not necessarily the case.”
“There’s often times where you have to differentiate team accolades vs personal accolades… You’re talking about two different extremes. Of course I played the game on a team that our ultimate goal was to have team success. I never, and I will repeat this, I never went into a season saying ‘Oh, I just want to go to the Pro Bowl… Or, oh, I just want to do this.’ No. Everybody’s expectations, in any year, is to get to the team Mt. Rushmore.”
Suffice to say, particular individuals will naturally stand out amongst their peers throughout the season, and that just simply “is what it is” for the Carolina legend.
Back in January, ESPN’s flagship personality in Stephen A. Smith proclaimed that an MVP award “pales in comparison to a championship” prior to asking Newton whether or not he’d be willing to sacrifice his personal achievements in order to obtain a Super Bowl ring. After Newton promptly responded with a firm “no,” he noted “that was a very journalistic viewpoint.”
In the eyes of the former Auburn quarterback, it’s primarily about holding yourself to a higher standard and being accountable for your own actions, more so than anything else.
“Impact or championships? Look at a guy like Allen Iverson… Everybody’s not going to be Michael Jordan… 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 as an All American, you’ve held your end of the bargain down. I know that’s not the popular pick… But I’m taking individual success because I did my job.”
To many, Newton’s comments may still appear to be selfish in nature, but given the insidious nature that comes with the business side of football, it’s certainly understandable as to why you’d want to ensure that you have taken care of yourself first and foremost, because at the end of the day, nobody else will. It’s dog-eat-dog league, and Newton is allowed to be proud of the fact that he was hardly ever on the menu.
