Cam Newton walks out on news conference after big-play question

Cam Newton and news conferences: always an adventure.

Newton’s well-known for wearing, shall we say, distinctive outfits to his postgame news conferences. More recently, Newton whipped himself up a whole batch of trouble when he laughed at the idea of a female reporter asking him a nuanced question about pass routes.

Here we are, a few weeks later, and we’ve got ourselves another Cam Conference Controversy™. Newton was asked about “big chunk plays,” a rather disgusting description for big-yardage plays, and, well, he didn’t much like the angle of the question.

Cam Newton made quite an appearance and disappearance at Wednesday's media session with reporters. (AP)
Cam Newton made quite an appearance and disappearance at Wednesday’s media session with reporters. (AP)

“Does this offense … have the wherewithal to do that consistently, week in and week out?”

Newton rolled his eyes halfway through the inquiry, then brushed it off with “next question,” and left immediately thereafter. Granted, he was following the usual “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all” rule recommended by all mothers, but still: it was a valid question.

The Panthers rank 16th in passing yards per game (221.9) and 21st in rushing yards per game (97.3, tied with … ugh … Indianapolis). Pro Football Focus ranks Carolina’s offense 20th overall. Newton himself ranks 18th in adjusted completion percentage; while under pressure, he’s thrown four interceptions against just one touchdown. So perhaps the attitude’s a touch misplaced.

On the plus side, the exchange gave us this outstanding Cam eyeroll shot, which has so, so many uses in 2017:

Cam Newton has had enough of this. (via screenshot)
Cam Newton has had enough of this. (via screenshot)

Cam Newton is truly a gift that keeps on giving.

The Panthers tried their best to spin this in defense of their star quarterback.

Always an adventure with Cam Newton.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Got a comment, tip, or question for a future NFL mailbag? Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.