Cam Newton didn't really put too much emphasis on being a "gracious loser" on Sunday after the Panthers' Super Bowl 50 loss to Denver.
Newton was a shell of himself thanks to a dominant defensive effort by Denver, which shut down Newton and the league's No. 1 offense, and he clearly wasn't happy after the loss, which is well within his right.
So Newton answered a few questions of the media — short answers, albeit — and then cut his media session short and walked off, drawing the ire of NFL fans everywhere, many of whom probably already had their minds made up to hate Newton.
Look, for a player to be upset and not really feel like talking after being dominated in the Super Bowl isn't really that big of a deal. It's not ideal, but it's understandable.
Newton's comments on Tuesday to Carolina media while cleaning out his locker at the Panthers' facility were more egregious. Newton didn't apologize (he didn't have to or need to) but he did call out people who are gracious in losses and basically called those people losers.
"I'm a sore loser," Newton told reporters on Tuesday. "Who likes to lose?"
Nothing really wrong with that comment. He has a point. Here's where things got bad:
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"You show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser. It's not a popularity contest. I'm here to win football games."
Here's the problem with that. Remember Russell Wilson's postgame after he lost the Super Bowl a year ago? Remember how that game ended? It was squarely on Wilson, who threw a last-second interception at the goal line going in for the game-winning touchdown. He came out, faced the music and was gracious in defeat.
Is Wilson a loser? Hardly. He has a Super Bowl ring to prove otherwise. Take note, Cam Newton.