After the dust settled and Super Bowl 50 had been decided in favor or Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos, the legendary quarterback had some kind words for his counterpart Cam Newton, whose Carolina Panthers lost the big game.
The NFL released a video of the exchange between these two NFL giants on Sunday:
"You got a great career ahead of you. I'll be pulling for you."
Peyton's postgame message to Cam Newton. 💯 #SoundFX https://t.co/4qQxA514s6
— NFL (@NFL) February 14, 2016
“Hey man, hey, great year,” Manning said. “You’ve got a great career ahead of you, man, so I’ll be pulling for you, man. Keep it going.”
Much was made about the way Newton responded in his post-game interview, but he was nothing but a respectful, graceful loser when faced with Manning after the game.
It’s likely Super Bowl 50 was the last game Manning will ever play in the NFL. He reportedly told friends he intended to retire before heading into Levi’s Stadium, but he was decidedly against making any kind of declaration about his decision after the game, choosing instead to focus on all the Budweiser beer he was going to drink.
Whereas Manning is almost certainly finished, Newton’s career is just starting to take off. The 2015 NFL MVP is only 26 years old, is still developing his passing game and plays on a team that has all the pieces to continue contending for a championship in years to come.