In the eyes of some, not jumping on that loose ball in Super Bowl 50 was a career-defining moment for Cam Newton. Heck, you’ll still see that painful image of it pop up in the replies, over eight years later.
Nonetheless, Newton is taking it on the chin.
On Wednesday’s episode of 4th & 1 with Cam Newton, the Carolina Panthers great was asked why he did not try to recover a fumble on the fateful February night. He didn’t give an exact answer as to why, but he regrets the choice he made.
“It ain’t no excuse for me not jumpin’ on the fumble,” Newton said. “I should’ve jumped on the fumble. Straight up. The competitor in me, if that happens again, duh. And this is the Super Bowl—all effort goes to, like, ‘Yo, Super Bowl energy.’ That wasn’t Super Bowl energy. And I think that is what hurts the most. You don’t get another opportunity to go back, it’s not promised for you to go back.
“‘Cause next year, that’s when the shoulder injury happened and the year following that, that’s when the foot injury happened. So you don’t necessarily know when it’s gonna be your time. That was your time to seize the moment. Carpe diem—the words that I live by. And I didn’t.”
Well, Newton and the Panthers didn’t make it back after their 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos.
The 2015 Most Valuable Player would go on a bit of a dip, as those shoulder and foot injuries eventually shortened his career. And as for the Panthers, who have dipped even further, they’re still without a postseason win since that season.
