Andy Griffith Helps Cam Newton? Edited Video Shows Actor Giving Advice About Super Bowl 50 Loss

Did Cam Newton receive advice from Andy Griffith about handling his Super Bowl 50 loss?

A now-viral video circulating online makes it look like the Carolina Panthers quarterback is receiving honest advice and a little tough love from the late actor. From the start of the video, it is apparently clear that this particular conversation never took place.

The black-and-white footage featuring Andy Griffith was actually taken from a clip of a memorable episode of the popular TV series The Andy Griffith Show. The hit CBS series, which ran for eight seasons and over 240 episodes, starred Andy Griffith and actor-turned-director Ron Howard.

Cam Newton’s face was digitally added to the footage of a classic scene between Andy Taylor (Griffith) and his son Opie (Howard). Opie was a sore loser that did not react to a recent loss properly. Therefore, Andy decided to have a father-son talk with a disappointed Opie to teach him about the danger of being a sore loser.

Once you pay attention to the actual conversation held between Andy and Opie, it becomes crystal clear why Cam Newton would fit into this particular scene perfectly.

Andy: “I don’t think it’s very nice of you to walk off the way you did.”

Opie: “I didn’t win. I didn’t win.”

Andy: “I know you didn’t win, but the important thing is you was in there trying. Now, that’s what’s important.”

Opie: “They don’t give you no medal for trying.”

Andy: “I know that. I know that. And it’s nice to win something. It’s real nice to win something, but it’s more important to know how not to win something.”

Opie: “I know how to do that real good.”

Moments after the Carolina Panthers lost Super Bowl 50 to the Denver Broncos, Cam Newton made headlines when he decided to walk out of a postgame conference.

USA Today reported that the recent MVP award recipient walked out of the interview session after only two minutes of questioning, leaving news reporters, the media, many fans, and critics calling Cam a sore loser for how he responded to the team’s unexpected defeat.

On Tuesday, Newton responded to the negative backlash that he caused with his decision to walk out by admitting that he was a sore loser.

“I’ve been on the record saying that I’m a sore loser. Who likes to lose? You show me a good loser and I’m going to show you a loser. It’s not a popularity contest. I am here to win football games. I have said it since Day 1. I am who I am.”

While speaking with the media at the team’s practice facility in Charlotte Tuesday, Newton further explained how he has been the same person from the very beginning.

“I know what I’m capable of and I know where I am going. If you want me to conform, I’m not that guy. If you want me to be that type of person, I’m not that. I am happy to say that. This league is a great league with or without me. I understand that. I am my own person. I take pride in that.”

After a stellar season with a near-perfect team record, most people thought that Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers were almost guaranteed to leave Super Bowl 50 in the history books with their names listed as the champions. However, that was not what took place after all. In addition to being sacked seven times, Cam Newton fumbled the ball twice — one of which was picked up and returned for a touchdown moments later. His passing game was also shut down Sunday night, completing 18 out of 41 passes.

With the way that he handled the media and the overall experience, perhaps Cam Newton should have paid close attention to what Andy Griffith told Opie. Even though the advice may not have changed the events of Sunday’s game, Cam would more than likely have handled the aftermath of the Super Bowl 50 loss a lot more efficiently.

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown & Kevin Cox/Getty Images]