Megastar Monday: NFL “Superman” Cam Newton
February 15, 2016
Cam Newton is the National Football League (NFL) Most Valuable Player for the 2015-2016 season. As the star quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, he is also the NFL’s most polarizing player.
Cam Newton was named the National Football League’s Most Valuable Player for the 2015-2016 season. Credit: © Paul Jasienski, AP Photo
In the 2015-2016 season, Newton led the Panthers to a league-best 15-1 record and a place in Super Bowl 50 on February 7. Carolina was favored to defeat the Denver Broncos in the game, but Denver crushed the Panthers 24-10. The game was a personal disaster for Newton. He fumbled twice, both fumbles leading to Denver’s only touchdowns. He also threw one pass interception and was sacked six times by the ferocious Denver defense. It was a rare failure for Newton, and he did not handle it well, walking out of a televised postgame interview after muttering only a handful of words.
Newton had not entered the NFL as an unknown. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2010 as the country’s best college football player and led Auburn University to the national college football championship. He exploded on the professional football scene his first year in the NFL. His outgoing personality combined with his playing skills moved him to the center stage of the NFL. In his rookie year in 2011, he became the first NFL player in history to gain more than 4,000 passing yards (4,051) and more than 500 yards (706) rushing in one season. Currently, Newton is the most dominant offensive player in the NFL when both rushing and passing are combined.
But Newton’s style has turned off many fans and media people. His antics on the field after making a big play or scoring a touchdown can be called exuberant and colorful. They have also been called showboating and arrogant. As one sports journalist commented, Newton never saw a spotlight he didn’t like. His public comments on sensitive subjects such as race have deepened the controversy attached to him. Newton’s talents may take him to more Super Bowls, just as his personality may grab even more headlines. Stay tuned.
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