There wasn’t any dabbing on Sunday night.
Many media members and former NFL players have expressed disappointment in the way Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton handled the postgame press conference after last night’s 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50.
Newton ended the press conference early after answering reporters’ questions with extremely short answers. Newton was named the league’s MVP on Saturday night, but struggled in the big game. The star is often polarizing for his elaborate TD celebrations, but his leadership isn’t typically called into question.
However, a New York Times story titled, “Cam Newton, a Man of Many Talents, Falls Short on Leadership,” describes the postgame situation:
He took a seat, a blue sweatshirt hood pulled low over his face. He made eye contact with no one. What did he make of the game? Was he surprised? How could he explain? The reporters’ questions arrived one after the other, not a surprise in the batch, some framed as gently as if offered by dimwitted therapists. For more than a minute, he stared at the floor, scratched his chin, curled his lip and sulked.
Newton then provided a few brief answers, got up and left. The MVP went from “Superman” to the “Incredible Sulk” to a Yahoo headline, while CBSSports.com‘s Bill Reiter said, “he gave his haters ammunition.”
"I don’t know what you want me to say, I’m sorry." – A dejected Cam Newton walks off the podium abruptly. #SB50
— NFL (@NFL) February 8, 2016
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and sports pundit Jim Rome didn’t appreciate the display by Newton:
Oh Damn! @CameronNewton just got up and walked off the podium. Totally understand! But you still can't do that. You just can't.#ManUP
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) February 8, 2016
Cam's presser was weak. If you're going to celebrate when you win, you've got to face the music when you lose.
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) February 8, 2016
Former NFL star Bill Romanowski, who has a checkered past himself including that time he spit in the face of an opponent, decided to chime in on Twitter with a message that has apparently been deleted:
After receiving a ton of backlash, Romanowski apologized for the “boy” comment:
I apologize for that remark 'boy'. It was not intentional or even trying to disrespect others. Peace everyone.
— Bill Romanowski (@billromanowski) February 8, 2016