Tony Gonzalez Says Cam Thought He Was Bigger Than The Team

Tony Gonzalez isn't buying Cam Newton's missing shirt excuse ... telling TMZ Sports Newton's tie-less controversy had less to do with wardrobe and more do with plain old entitlement.

We got Gonzalez out at LAX and asked him what he thought of TieGate ... Cam Newton being benched for the start of last week's game for not abiding by team wardrobe rules.

Newton said it was a simple mix-up -- he didn't pack another shirt -- but it's clear Gonzalez thinks it's deeper than that ... saying Newton was trying to put one over on his team and organization.