Tamarick Johnson
MC Practicum Student
There was love and positivity shown to Cam Newton entering Super Bowl 50. Everyone gravitated towards Newton because of his fun loving spirit and carefree attitude. But one moment at the podium changed everything for the 2015 National Football League MVP.
After just losing to the Broncos in Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, Calif. at Levi Stadium, a very emotional, dejected Newton stepped to the podium to answer questions. According to ESPN, he was only at the podium for three minutes and then he left.
This caused an uproar and Newton’s podium walk away became national sports news. Every one in America had an opinion on the situation. Whether you agree or disagree with his decision is something for you to decide.
“I feel like there was nothing wrong with what Cam did, losing a super bowl is devastating and nobody wants to be asked a hundred questions right after that, so he got frustrated and walked out. I think it was blown way out of proportion. People don’t realize all the hard work and what goes into what everyone sees on Sundays,” said Christian Jacquemin, a sophomore criminal justice major form Miami, Fla.
Ethnicity has entered the discussion on the Newton situation. In Super Bowl 44, Peyton Manning walked off the field without shaking any hands after his team lost to the Saints. The criticism of Manning wasn’t as harsh in 2010 but many feel that Newton is not getting the same treatment.
“He was right for walking off. He said what he had to say to the people and left before he said something wrong. It was blown out of proportion because he’s a black quarterback and everyone is trying to criticize him like he’s wrong but no one ever spoke on what Payton did when he lost the super bowl to the Seahawks,” said Tevin Garrett, a senior criminal justice major from Talladega, Ala.
The incident may have looked worse than what it really was because of where and when it occurred. Newton’s head coach, Ron Rivera, stated in an ESPN interview that even though he wished Newton had handled the situation differently, he understood the magnitude of that moment and why he decided it was best for him to leave.
“No, he wasn’t wrong at all and I think that people who think what he did was so wrong have never been true competitors. All in all, I think that unless you’ve been in the same situation Cam was in, you really have no right to say whether he was right or wrong,” said Jared Jackson, a junior civil engineering major from Birmingham, Ala.
Despite the criticism given to Newton after the incident, he is not apologizing for his actions.
“Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser. If I offended anybody, that’s cool, but I know who I am and I’m not about to conform nor bend for anybody’s expectations, because yours or anybody’s expectations would never exceed mine,” Newton said in a post game interview.
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