This column isn’t about Cam Newton.

His rough ride in the press following Super Bowl 50 is the genesis of the topic.  However the NFL MVP and his unique approach, for today, is representative of the conversation that follows virtually any failing on the part of a favored athlete in traditional and social media these days.  Stick with me through the first paragraph or two before you decide to abandon ship and move on to some YouTube video of a point guard from the class of 2028 who’s already verbally committed.

Following last Sunday’s game Newton was a sullen, pouting, less than professional prima donna during his press conference.  That’s a fact…and the conversation should have ended there.  Even his own circle acknowledges that he could have handled it better.

The bigger issue begins when folks attempt to rationalize and excuse the behavior of an athlete rather than hold him accountable.  Immediately we got into the “he shouldn’t have to answer questions right after the biggest loss of his career” or it was wrong that another interview with a Bronco was going on within earshot.  Then folks begin to pull up the Peyton Manning walk off from the Colts 2010 Super Bowl loss to the Saints, the black – white elephant in the room or in his own words “Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser”.

I have no problem with the validity (to a degree) of each of those issues on their own accord…but they weren’t the topic.

Is it tough to get up there after such a heartbreaking loss?  Of course, but 49 other Super Bowl losing quarterbacks did it before him.  The absurdity of the how competitive he is and how much he wanted to win as a free pass on the press conference is an insult to anyone putting on a uniform.  His desire to win was no greater than anyone on the Denver bench or in his own locker room. The responsibilities of a professional athlete include (contractually) press conferences and media…win or lose. They come with all those zeros on that pay check.

But that wasn’t the topic.

Was it a circus in the media room and poorly planned strategically by the NFL to have the interviews of winning and losing athletes simultaneously?  No doubt, but listen to the background in Russell Wilson’s interview from the year before after throwing arguably the most painful interception in NFL history.  Sounds like Grand Central Station during the morning rush yet somehow the Seahawk QB found a way to graciously answer both legitimate as well as the always present ridiculous questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmsYJ5XxCJ0

But then again…that wasn’t the topic.

Is there a double standard out there based on race, age, personality dynamics or the multitude of other prejudicial factors?  It’s an indisputable fact.  Only a naïve fool would deny Manning’s early departure in 2010 without common post-game courtesy was looked at with kid gloves while Cam’s 2016 press conference performance was held to a higher standard.  Newton demonstrated his class in his congratulating Manning on the field last week while Peyton took his ball and went home before the final gun six years ago.  At the same time Manning’s post-game press conference back in 2010 was gracious and by the book.  All things considered the argument is a wash with both of them blatantly guilty of fumbling at some point on the big stage.  One athlete’s failings do not provide a pass for another.  Keep the bar high for all…always.

But that wasn’t the topic either.

Were Newton’s comments Tuesday less than helpful in explaining or rationalizing his moment gone wrong with the media?  Hardly.  In essence he was even calling his own teammates and head coach “losers”.  They “finished” their Super Bowl efforts answering those obvious and inane questions that come with one of the biggest sporting events in the world.  You can’t selectively apply the “good loser equals loser” analogy without applying it to everyone, including those who fought beside you all season long.  I’m not sure exactly what a “good loser” is in Cam’s book.  They were just doing their job with the media…as Wilson did last year, and as Brady and Manning have done and like Kaepernick and Roethlisberger have all done when losing Super Bowls across the five years leading up to Super Bowl 50.

And that…in the most literal sense…is the topic.

What was his job and did he do it.  No, that’s all.  Nothing more.

He didn’t commit a crime against humanity and shouldn’t be relegated to wearing the Scarlet Letter (with an Under Armour logo of course) next season.  And more so, it’s OK for fans, media and society in general to have that conversation without always looking for some kinder, gentler way of justifying the behavior of the athlete du jour.  In fact, it’s necessary that we stop doing it if we’re ever to move on from the double standards and the much too high level of tolerance afforded our elite athletes.  They have to be held accountable on the basis of even the simplest of things…like a press conference.

When you start offering an “out” for situations like this, regardless of the validity of their own arguments, you guarantee that it will happen again.  There are generations of athletes to come in every sport looking to the stars of the NFL, NBA, MLB and more as to how to handle all the obligations that come beyond the game itself.

Look back to last year’s NBA finals and LeBron’s post-Game press conference.  He was obviously not thrilled about being there, had just lost his fourth championship series, and was asked some totally idiotic questions.  Yet he stayed and fulfilled one of the duties of his job.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBWMRMjvodU

He demonstrated that it’s possible to struggle with a season ending loss and still help another one of the elements (media) of the “whole” scheme of professional sports.  People often forget that the NFL, the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NHL and others are essentially entertainment industries.  As such, it exists on the level that it does today by way of the entire experience rather than the specific sport alone.  All of the elements that go into it top to bottom play a role in the success of athletes, franchises and leagues.  A competitor is forced to embrace more than just the time they spend in uniform.  It may start there, but it’s no longer simply about the game.

From parking to the quality of the arena or stadium.  Concessions to music and video.  PA announcers to dance teams and game operations.  Public relations, corporate sponsorship and ticket sales.  Television contracts, radio networks, luxury boxes…and media.  It’s all part of the package that creates the world the professional athlete of today lives in.  It’s that commitment to the “whole” that has allowed the evolution of a multi-billion dollar industry and all the zeros that make up each signing bonus and contract.

Should there be a debate and discussion over the obvious double standard that exists in situations like this?  Absolutely, but on its own accord and not as a situational rationalization or way of lessening the responsibility for others going forward.

Should Manning have had his reputation tarnished to a greater degree for walking off back in 2010?  Of course, but those making that point now should have been making a much bigger issue of it back then.   I don’t recall hearing the topic brought once during the week leading up to Manning’s fourth Super Bowl appearance in San Francisco last Sunday.  Using it now still makes a point but it still doesn’t absolve Newton in the media room.  But he should have had Manning with him in the principal’s office as well.

A more reasonable and current issue with the Denver quarterback should have been his casual post-game comment that “I’m going to be drinking lots of Budweiser tonight”.  It’s not relevant that he’s invested in a distributorship in Louisiana, it’s simply a bad example. (Sorry Charles)  If Cam made the same comment can you imagine the public / media response?  Active players in the National Football league are prohibited from promoting alcohol and Peyton hadn’t announced his retirement, so just where has Roger been on this one?

Athletes have responsibilities outside the lines at all levels. Period.  Today, in our sport of girls’ basketball, elite players on the high school level are now enjoying more prominent profiles than ever before.  As such they’ve got to do interviews, sign some autographs and be aware of their presence publically and in particular on social media platforms.  As a college athlete those expectations expand tremendously and move to a much bigger stage.  If they’re fortunate enough ultimately to move on to become part of the pay for play crowd then they have to accept every bullet point in the job description.  That infrastructure isn’t optional, even if you lose or win the Super Bowl.  It would be nice to hear a mea culpa from Manning and Newton both.

Watch the circus of the never ending presidential candidate debates and you see the same inability of accomplished individuals to stay on topic.  Whether it’s sports or politics, there is a constant effort in today’s society to steer a negative narrative by way of past behavior, be it their own or someone else’s.  We encourage young athletes to take ownership of their actions but offer up demonstrations again and again that we don’t expect the same of our high profile stars.  You get what you tolerate.  The best example we can offer the next generation is accountability.  Nothing above and beyond, just simply doing your job…and when you don’t…not having anyone in your corner providing excuses.