Cam Newton told GQ during a wide-ranging interview that he doesn't think he is subjected to extra scrutiny because he is black.

"It's not racism," Newton told the magazine. "Everybody's entitled to their own opinion."

Newton has been critiqued for his playing style and demeanor throughout his career.

"I don't want this to be about race, because it's not. It's not," the Carolina Panthers quarterback said. "Like, we're beyond that. As a nation."

Leading up to Super Bowl 50, Newton, the 2015 NFL MVP, created headlines when he described himself as "an African-American quarterback that may scare a lot of people because they haven't seen nothing they can compare me to."