No athletes enjoy losing games, although losing championships are the ultimate heartbreak for any player. This was exhibited following the conclusion of Super Bowl 50, where the camera showed Panthers star cornerback Josh Norman weeping on the bench after the 24-10 loss, proving that for many, sports are more than just a game. In his post-game press conference, Norman told reporters, “I’m having a hard time sitting here, I’m going to be straight up honest. I didn’t even want to talk to you guys…it just sucks to be on the other side of the sticks.”

Quarterback and 2015 league MVP Cam Newton had such hard time talking to the press, he controversially left mid-interview. Newton is known as an extremely emotional player on the field, dancing and “dabbing” after scoring touchdowns. This has led to very mixed reactions of Newton, with many criticizing his celebrations obnoxious, while others enjoying his passion for the game he puts on display, and look forward to him showing off his dance moves after touchdowns. While some people view his actions on the field as cocky and others confident, there’s no doubt it elevates his game on the field. He’s also regarded by Panthers players as a great leader, often giving emotional motivational speeches to his team. During a game Newton sat out with an injury during the 2014 season, he even ran onto the field to give his offense a pep talk in the game’s final moments during a timeout.

However, in the game’s final moments, Newton’s emotions were again on display, but his confidence seemed to have deserted him. After CJ Anderson’s 2-yard touchdown run sealed a Bronco victory, Newton collapsed to the ground, visibly crushed. Less than an hour after the game ended, Newton walked the podium of his press conference with his usual ear to ear smile replaced by a defeated face that portrayed the agony of defeat. Newton was a man of few words during the press conference, barely offering more than a sentence in response to post-game questions. When asked what his Head Coach Ron Rivera said to the team in the locker room, Newton responded, “A lot of things,” and when asked if he could put his disappointment into words, told the reporter, “We lost.” Then the lightning rod for controversy ended his season with one more questionable act. “I’m done,” he told the reporters and walked off the stage, ending his post-game interview early.

Newton was criticized by many for allowing his emotions to get the best of him and during CBS’ broadcast of the post-game show, analyst Deion Sanders ripped Newton, claiming, “You are the face of our brand right now, you can’t do that. I understand the emotions of losing, but you can’t do that. A Manning, a Brady, all these guys who are prototypical types of quarterbacks in our game, they’re not going to do that ever. Would Drew Brees ever [do that]? Newton’s Head Coach Ron Rivera came do his defense though, telling reporters Newton was very frustrated and determined not to break down emotionally in public on live television.

However, Newton may have had reason to leave. Before leaving the podium, Newton seemed to overhear Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. from the other side of the room, boasting about the Broncos defensive gameplan on how to stop the Panthers. In the background of Newton’s interview, you could hear Harris Jr. saying, “we wanted to load the box, force y’all to throw the ball. Can you throw the football? That was the gameplan.” Newton seemed to hear this comment, looking over in Harris’ direction before walking off. Even Harris seemed to be defending Newton for his actions, even criticizing the setup of the interview space. “I would have been mad, too, if I was Cam, to be able to hear your opponent right behind you talking, nobody wants to hear that. So I think that was a bad setup, but things happen. But you have to deal with it and approach things like a man, and we’ve been in that situation where we lost a Super Bowl and be able to take things as they come. I’m just happy we were on the good side of things this time.”

Whether Newton’s action was justified or not, there’s no doubt it came from a place of emotion and pain over one of the most difficult games to lose in all of sports.