Cam Newton: "I Should've Jumped On the Fumble"
For the first time in his post-playing career, Cam Newton has spoken about one of the defining plays of his illustrious careers. In Super Bowl 50, with Carolina trailing by six, Von Miller came screaming off the edge like he had all night. Newly crowned league MVP Cam Newton was having a tough night against the league's best Broncos defense, but he saw a rare opening downfield and stepped up in the pocket ready to rip a throw to Devin Funchess.
We all know what happens next.
Newton is strip sacked, the ball hits the deck, and one of the most fearless offensive players in the history of the Carolina Panthers' franchise shies away from contact and fails to jump on the loose ball. Denver recovers, CJ Anderson finds pay dirt three plays later, Peyton Manning converts the two-point conversion, and Denver takes an insurmountable 14 point lead with three minutes to go.
"It ain't no excuse for me not jumping on the fumble. I should've jumped...I should've jumped on the fumble. The competitor in me, if that happens again, duh. This is the Super Bowl. All effort goes to, like, Super Bowl energy," said Newton, on the most recent episode of his 4th and One Podcast.
February 7th, 2016 was a day that will live in infamy for Newton. He was crushed by the media for not jumping on the loose ball, and he failed to give the media a chance to ask him about it when he stormed out of the press conference before it even started. Adding fuel to the fire that he set ablaze in a rare moment of lackadaisical effort from a man who gave everything he had to the Carolina's for a decade.
It's unfortunate that Newton never had a chance to rectify his mistake on the biggest stage. Newton started one playoff game the rest of his career, a wild card weekend loss to the Saints in which Newton played one of the most impressive games of his career in a losing effort.
His infectious energy and dominant play made him beloved in the Carolinas, but his bombastic attitude and eccentric outfits made him a lightning rod to the rest of the country.
Credit to Newton for taking accountability years later. For Panthers fans who still harbor resentment towards the only MVP in franchise history, this may end up being the beginning of a reconciliation that is long overdue.
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