After the Panthers lost to the Broncos in Super Bowl 50, Cam Newtonwas in no mood to speak with reporters. He tried to sit down and answer questions from them during his post-game press conference, but after just a few minutes, he abruptly got up and left. Some people speculated that it was because Broncos players were doing interviews nearby while celebrating their win, and Newton himself later admitted that he struggled to deal with the situation because he’s a “sore loser.”
It’s been almost three months now since that post-game press conference, but Newton is still being asked about it. He appears on the cover of the latest issue of Ebony and, for his cover story, he talked at length about the press conference. He stopped short of offering up an apology for doing what he did, but he also tried to explain what he was dealing with at the time. Additionally, he addressed those who criticized him for doing what he did.
“Who is anyone to tell me, ‘Man, it’s just an interview’?” he told Ebony. “You haven’t been in that situation. You didn’t have millions of people watching you. Your heart wasn’t pumping [with] the embarrassment or the anxiety of the stress of dealing with that type of game. I just wasn’t ready to talk. Was I mad? Hell, yeah! But there could have been a better way to control it, and that’s why I think having more time would have helped.”
Newton’s explanation probably won’t do much to silence his critics. If you’ve already decided that you don’t like the way he behaved, his words won’t hold much weight with you. But at this point, isn’t it time for everyone to move on? We're willing to bet that no one is looking forward to the start of next season more than Newton.
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[via ESPN]
