Cam Newton now knows he’s too big a deal to behave like a sore loser.
The Carolina Panthers quarterback said so himself in an interview, which appears in the latest issue of Ebony magazine, ESPN’s David Newton reported Thursday. Newton admits he regrets storming out of his postgame press conference following the Panthers’ Super Bowl 50 loss to the Denver Broncos. Newton said his sour demeanor and hasty exit reflected poorly on himself and those who love him.
“The truth is, I represent something way bigger than myself,” Newton told Ebony, according to ESPN. “I’m doing it for (my fans and family), and I felt like I let them down.”
Newton said his emotions still were raw when he stepped onto the podium to fulfill his media duties just a few minutes after the game.
“I just wasn’t ready to talk,” Newton said. “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.”
These comments on his post-Super Bowl walkout are Newton’s first since early February. Many criticized him at the time, but he steadfastly refused to express any regret over his conduct.
A few months of retrospection (and perhaps a little water polo) seems to have soften Newton’s stance, and he might put on a different face after games in 2016 and beyond. After all, he’s just 26 years old, and people’s perspectives change over time.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
