Carolina Panthers Cam Newton named NFL's Most Valuable Player
Wednesday 11 January 2017 12:05, UK
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was named the National Football League's Most Valuable Player on Saturday at the NFL Honours show.
The 26-year-old Newton was a near unanimous choice for the NFL's most prestigious honour, garnering 48 of the 50 votes with quarterbacks Tom Brady of the New England Patriots and Carson Palmer of the Arizona Cardinals, receiving one vote each.
Newton, who will be leading the top-seeded Panthers into Super Bowl 50 on Sunday versus the Denver Broncos, was also named the league's Offensive Player of the Year.
Playing in his fifth season, Newton led all quarterbacks in the regular season with 45 touchdowns, including 10 rushing scores, in leading the Panthers to a league-best 15-1 record.
Meanwhile, strong-armed quarterback Brett Favre headlined the eight-member Class of 2016 voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Favre, who retired five years ago, was elected in his first year of eligibility after a 20-year NFL career that included a Super Bowl title with the Green Bay Packers in the 1996 season.
When he left the game, the three-time NFL Most Valuable Player reigned as the league's all-time leader in completions, yards and passing touchdowns.
Favre, who played 16 seasons with Green Bay, proved to be the most durable player ever in the NFL and tops the all-time list for consecutive starts with 297, 321 including playoffs.
Joining Favre into the Canton, Ohio, shrine are coach Tony Dungy, wide receiver Marvin Harrison, pass-rusher Kevin Greene, tackle Orlando Pace, quarterback Ken Stabler, guard Dick Stanfel and former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo, Jr.
Stabler's election came four days after results of a study of the former Oakland Raiders quarterback's brain revealed that the Super Bowl winner was suffering from the degenerative brain disease CTE, which is linked to repeated head trauma, before his death last July.
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