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 3, 2014

The Seattle Seahawks won their first National Football League (NFL) championship in franchise history with a convincing 43-8 rout of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XVIII yesterday at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford New Jersey. Denver quarterback Peyton Manning had set NFL records for touchdowns and total passing yards during the regular season, on his way to being named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) for a record fifth time. But the Seahawks, who lead the NFL in points and yards allowed, thoroughly dominated the game from start to finish and never let Manning and the Denver offense gain any momentum.

Most experts predicted a close game between the NFL’s best defense (Seattle) against the best offense (Denver). Instead, Seattle posted the fastest score in Supper Bowl history. Twelve seconds into the game, Seattle scored a safety on the first play from scrimmage, as the snap from center sailed over the head of Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and into the end zone. The Seahawks never looked back. They scored on offense, defense, and  special teams, as wide receiver Percy Harvin ran back the second half kickoff for a touchdown. Seattle’s swift and physical defense kept Denver out of the end zone until the end of the 3rd quarter. Seattle linebacker Malcolm Smith was named the MVP of the game. He returned a second-quarter interception 69 yards for a touchdown.

Seattle’s second-year quarterback Russell Wilson had a relatively easy time compared to Manning. He completed 18 of 25 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns. The Seattle offense didn’t turn the ball over, and Wilson was not sacked at all during the game.

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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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