NY Yankees Tell Players to Act Like Russell Wilson, Not Cam Newton Following Defeats
The New York Yankees have reportedly shown their players footage of Christian quarterback Russell Wilson's interview following the Seattle Seahawks loss in Super Bowl XLIX as an example of the right way to address the media following a devastating loss.
With Major League Baseball teams beginning their preparation for a long and sometimes frustrating six-month baseball season, the New York Yankees have reportedly trained their players at their spring training facility in Tampa, Florida, on the right and wrong way to handle the media following crushing defeats.
"During the Yankees' media training day, the Super Bowl is being used to portray the right and wrong way to act," ESPN senior writer Andrew Marchand was quoted as reporting. "Part of a video shown to pitchers and catchers compares how Cam Newton handled his Super Bowl loss to the way Russell Wilson dealt with his defeat the previous year."
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In stressing how not to act following a loss, the Yankees had their players watch Newton's press conference following the Carolina Panthers' loss to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 earlier this month.
After the Panthers lost the biggest football game of the year by 14 points after suffering just one loss the entire season, Newton, who is known for happiness and large smiles, was noticeably upset with a scowl on his face during his postgame press conference.
The 26-year-old answered a few questions with short, one-word replies and did not bother to give any insight or details into what went wrong. After being asked just a few questions, Newton stormed off before the news conference was over.
Newton's behavior following the game earned him sharp criticism by many football analysts, including NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
"You are the face of our brand right now, you can't do that," Sanders said. "I understand the emotions of losing, but you can't do that. A [Peyton] Manning, a [Tom] Brady — all these guys are a prototypical type of quarterback in our game — they're not going to do that ever."
On the flipside, Wilson was much more open than Newton was about how much it hurt to lose by four points to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX.
"I have watched a lot of games and I have been in a lot of games and it always hurts to lose, no matter how you lose it," Wilson said.
Wilson congratulated and gave credit to Brady, the opposing quarterback, for his efforts in the game.
He also took the blame for throwing an interception late in the fourth quarter when the Seahawks were on the goal line and threatening to score the go-ahead touchdown even though many criticized Seahawks coach Pete Carroll for not calling a running play in that situation.
"I put the blame on me," Wilson said. "I am the one that threw it. It's something you learn from, something you grow from. I am proud of our guys by the way that we got down the field there in that situation and we were right there and you just keep learning and keep growing."
Wilson and the Seahawks were victorious the year before in Super Bowl XLVIII with an overwhelming 43-8 victory over the Broncos.
