default-cbs-image

It's still not clear why Cam Newton abruptly left his postgame press conference following the Panthers 24-10 loss to the Broncos in Super Bowl 50 on Sunday. 

Was he mad? Was it because he heard Broncos cornerback Chris Harris bash the Panthers inability to throw the ball during the game?

Whatever the reason was, it wasn't a good one, according to Deion Sanders. The Hall of Fame cornerback, who lost a total of four playoff games during his 14-year career, said there was no excuse for Newton to leave the podium early. 

"I understand the emotions of losing, but you can't do that," Sanders said, via the Los Angeles Times. "A Manning, a Brady -- all these guys that have been a prototypical type of quarterback in our game, they're not going to do that ever. Would Drew Brees ever?"

Sanders, who now works for the NFL Network, also added that if Newton's going to celebrate after wins, he needs to be able to handle himself after losses. 

"You're opening yourself for more criticism, because everybody is going to say you're dabbing and smiling and smiling and styling," Sanders said. "So this is how you go out when you lose?"

Another Hall of Famer agrees with Sanders. ESPN analyst Steve Young said that as the "face of the franchise," Newton had an obligation to stick around and answer questions. 

"To have that kind of emotion makes a lot of sense. It's just that you're the MVP. You're the guy that's going to be the face of the franchise, you're the face of the NFL going forward, you were the dabber," Young said. "This is the moment to actually show that resilience on the other side. And so, stand in there, answer the questions. It's three minutes. Even if you just spit the words out, take a deep breath, answer the questions."

One person who Newton did talk to was Peyton Manning and Manning might've been the only person in the stadium who came away impressed with Newton after the game. 

"He was very nice to me. And I really appreciated that," Manning told The Today Show on Monday.

"He'll be back in that game, I can promise you," Manning added. "I've been on that side of it. It is tough, it is not an easy pill to swallow. But he was very nice to me and I really appreciated that."

Although Newton impressed Manning, he didn't impress many other people with his postgame actions and it will be interesting to see what he has to say the next he meets with the media. Of course, the problem with that is that no one knows when that will be. 

Deion and Cam were on good terms at the beginning of the week. (USATSI)
Deion and Cam were on good terms at the beginning of the week. (USATSI)