Broncos’ Harris: ‘I would have been mad too’ if he were Newton
Whether you believe it influenced his behavior or not, Carolina Panthers’ QB Cam Newton clearly overheard Denver Broncos’ CB Chris Harris Jr. in the postgame interview area on Sunday as Harris boasted of his team’s successful defensive plan to stop Newton in Super Bowl 50.
Those interview “rooms” are cramped, in the bowels of the stadium, and often a large storage-type area that’s been cleared out for the purpose. While there are separate areas for each team, each with a dozen or so small, elevated podium areas, each with speakers attached, those areas usually aren’t separated by much more than some curtains, which certainly aren’t soundproof.
Is it a perfect setup? No, but for media often scrambling to get quotes out to the masses, having the teams as close together as possible is appreciated.
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So on Sunday night, as Harris was saying the Broncos’ plan was to force Newton to throw, and Newton overheard him, you can see Newton rolling his eyes and sucking his teeth as he hears Harris.
On Monday, Harris was on ESPN, and said he understood why Newton would be upset – but also that it’s part of the deal, and Newton just had to cope with it.
“I had no idea [Newton could hear him],” Harris said. “I don’t know why they had us in the same room, or anywhere close to where they could hear us, so 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; you have to deal with it, you have to approach things as a man, and we’ve been in that situation where we lost the Super Bowl and you’ve got to be able to take things as they come. i’m just happy we were on the good side of things this time.”
On Tuesday, as Panthers players were emptying their lockers, Newton spoke for several minutes (the first time in his career he’s spoken on “trash bag day”), and said that he’s on the record as being a sore loser.
