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So much for the team concept. On Thursday, Cam Newton was asked if he would return his MVP trophy in exchange for a Super Bowl ring.

It’s the kind of question typically viewed as a no-brainer. A championship is always the pinnacle of any team sport, right? Right?!

Not in Newton’s noggin.

When asked whether he would trade in the MVP for a ring by Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take, Newton did not hesitate.

“No,” he replied.

Cam Newton Covets His MVP Trophy

Cam has come close to tasting Super Bowl victory. Newton, who played predominantly for the Carolina Panthers, led them to three NFC South titles, four playoff appearances, and their second-ever Super Bowl appearance.

That game, Super Bowl 50, saw the Denver Broncos thump the Panthers 24-10. Newton completed just over 43% of his passes for 265 yards while throwing one interception and no touchdowns.

That same season, Newton became the first black quarterback to win the NFL MVP outright in one of the best seasons ever played by a quarterback.

In explaining his thinking, Newton pointed out that the MVP gives a player status as the best player in his sport, while some lesser quarterbacks have won Super Bowl rings before. A fair point – if you compare, say, Dan Marino and Trent Dilfer.

“Everybody’s not going to be Michael Jordan. Everybody’s not going to be Patrick Mahomes. Everybody’s not going to be these individuals who have the luxury of saying, ‘Hey, I not only dominated this sport, but I also have championships to back it,'” he contends.

“Let me remind you, Brad Johnson won a Super Bowl. Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl. Respectfully, Nick Foles won a Super Bowl.”

“So, yes, when you look at those guys and you say, ‘OK, what’s more important? Would you have preferred to win a Super Bowl?’ I think that’s the humble approach, but 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 an All-American, you’ve held your end of the bargain down. That’s what it really comes down to for me.”

RELATED: Cam Newton Shocks Fans Watching ‘Special Forces,’ Jumps Onto Moving Helicopter In Wild Video

He Might Be MVP, But Carolina Doesn’t Have A Pic Of Him In Their Building

Cam Newton, at least, was able to do both at the college level. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2010, the year he led Auburn to the BCS National Championship.

But how quickly they forget in Carolina.

Newton recently ripped the Panthers organization for allegedly trying to erase his legacy with the team. According to him and his son, Carolina doesn’t have any pictures of him on the stadium walls.

This, despite Newton arguably being the young franchise’s most outstanding player so far.

“We went into the Panthers’ facility and . . . you mean to tell me that one of the greatest Panthers to ever play ain’t up nowhere? Nowhere. I’m talkin’ nowhere,” said Newton. “Who brought it to my attention? My son. So as a man, when you have to explain to your son . . . ‘Daddy, where’s your picture?’”

Newton was pretty emotional about the disrespect. He took his anger out recently in a reality TV show called Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, where he reminded fans that he was indeed one of the most exceptional athletes on the planet.

In a recent episode, he jumped from a moving speedboat onto a helicopter hovering alongside him.

The dude is a beast. But even that task required a team behind him to help him achieve the remarkable feat. Just as he needed good teammates to become MVP.

It’s not quite the individual achievement he thinks it is.

Rusty Weiss is a lifelong NFL and MLB fan (Cowboys/Dodgers) and sometimes fan of college basketball (Xavier). Rusty is ... More about Rusty Weiss
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