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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February 8, 2016

Quarterback Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos holds up the Super Bowl trophy on Sunday, February 7, 2016, in Santa Clara, California. The Broncos won 24-10. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

On Sunday, February 7, the Denver Broncos overwhelmed the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in a defense-dominated Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Denver linebacker Von Miller recorded 2 1/2 quarterback sacks and two forced fumbles, including one that was returned for the game’s first touchdown. He was named the championship game’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). It was the third Super Bowl victory for the Broncos in team history and the first since the team won consecutive titles after the 1997 and 1998 seasons.

The Carolina Panthers were slightly favored to win the game. Led by their quarterback, National Football League (NFL) 2015 season MVP Cam Newton, Carolina had the NFL’s top offense, averaging 31.3 points-per-game. The Panthers finished the regular season 15-1. But the Broncos, sporting the NFL’s top-rated defense, kept Newton contained for much of the game. He completed only 18 of 41 passes for 265 yards, with one interception and two fumbles lost. The key play occurred with Denver already up 3-0 in the first quarter. On the Panthers own 15-yard-line, Von Miller charged off the line and sacked Newton, stripping the football and knocking it into the Panther’s end zone, where Broncos defensive end Malik Jackson fell on the ball to give Denver a 10-0 lead. It was the first fumble recovery for a touchdown in a Super Bowl in 22 years. Denver running back C.J. Anderson added a touchdown late and kicker Brandon McManus kicked three field goals in the win.

Denver QB Peyton Manning, who at age 39 was the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl game, completed 13 of 23 passes for only 141 yards, with one interception and one lost fumble. But the stifling Denver defense did not require any more offense as they thoroughly controlled the game. The victory gave Manning his second NFL championship in four Super Bowl appearances. Most experts believe that the victory will be a crowning achievement for the Hall of Fame-bound quarterback, and that he will likely soon announce his retirement.

March 22, 2012

National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell announced severe disciplinary actions against the management and coaching staff of the New Orleans Saints for running a program that rewarded members with cash bonuses for injuring opposing players. From 2009 through the 2011 football season, New Orleans coaches operated a “bounty system” that targeted specific players for injury. The cash bounty was increased if a key player on the opposing team was injured and had to leave a game. The NFL investigation found that bounties up to $10,000 were placed on opposing teams’ quarterbacks in key games during that time. Targeted quarterbacks included Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers), Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers), Kurt Warner (Arizona Cardinals), and Brett Favre (Minnesota Vikings).

New Orleans head coach Sean Payton was suspended without pay for the entire 2012 season. Saints defensive coordinator Greg Williams, who was found primarily responsible for operating the bounty program, was suspended indefinitely. Williams joined the St. Louis Rams in 2012. The Saints’ general manager also received an eight-game suspension, and the team will have to pay a substantial fine. Commissioner Goodell stated that their actions were a severe violation of league rules and constituted conduct detrimental to the league and players.

Members of the Saints team were paid a bounty if they injured such players as quarterback Brett Favre (holding ball) during a game. (Courtesy of Icon Sports Media Inc.)

The unprecedented penalties were announced at a time when the NFL is facing increasing criticism over its commitment to player health and safety. In December 2011, 21 former NFL players claimed in a lawsuit that they had suffered severe and permanent brain damage from concussions received in games. The players claim the NFL misrepresented the long-term health consequences of head injuries to players. They also claim the NFL promoted a more violent style of play to attract fans. In recent years, nearly two dozen former NFL players have been diagnosed after death with a progressive brain disorder known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Many had struggled with depression, memory loss, mental confusion, and other symptoms. Many medical experts believe that the CTE in these players resulted from brain trauma received during their NFL careers.

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