Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton spoke honestly in May about his desire to become a team captain.
"I'm going about it each and every day and trying to make that happen," Newton said.
Last year's team captain, Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith, told NFL Network's "NFL Total Access" on Thursday that it's a choice that boils down to Newton's teammates.
"As a former captain, right now, as a captain last year, I can't say if he's a captain or not," Smith said, "because captains are picked by their peers. It is voted by the players before the season starts, so whether I believe he should be a captain or not, it's really not up to me."
Smith went on: "It's voted on by the players, and we have 53 guys that vote. So those 53 votes count and there's a lot of guys who get votes. And so, I know Cam got votes last year, but he didn't get enough votes, so it's not about whether one person believes he should or shouldn't -- it takes a whole team that votes on that, so it's really not up to one person to make that decision."
NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano cut in, saying, "I could ask you to reveal your vote, you know."
Smith replied: "To be honest, I didn't vote for myself, OK?"
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.