In life, and in the smaller scope of sports, you can tell a lot about a person when adversity comes. I want to start out by saying the things that make Cam Newton a lightning rod for criticism, most notably his skin color and the way he celebrates on the field, don’t matter to me enough to express any sort of cynicism. But he did show a lot about himself on Super Bowl Sunday, and most of it is worthy of criticism.

Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, with the obvious benefit of having great talent at his disposal, had a game plan that mostly contained Newton; and if not for a couple great catches by Panthers receivers, his passing numbers would have looked even worse. Everybody has bad games and bad days, so that is not my bone to pick with Newton’s showing on Sunday.

Late in the fourth quarter, with the score 16-10 in favor of the Broncos, Newton fumbled for the second time due to a hit from Denver linebacker Von Miller. The Broncos of course recovered, and eventually scored the touchdown that sealed the game, but Newton clearly backpedaled when there was a chance to dive on the ball and maintain possession for Carolina. CBS analyst Phil Simms said it best after the play, suggesting Newton apparently didn’t think it was worth it to dive on the football. In what was a one-score game, with keeping the ball of paramount importance to maintain any chance to win, Newton appeared to make what is often referred to as a “business decision.”

Then after the game, Newton came off as childish when he cut his postgame press conference short. The quality of reporters’ questions is a mark in his defense, along with the weight of losing the biggest game of his career, but a normally loquacious Newton when things are going well had nothing to say in the aftermath of a tough loss. Other players who came up short on big stages have willingly taken their lumps from the media after the game, but Newton shrunk from it when the possibility of tough questions was out there.

Newton had shown better maturity in front of the media this season, often confronting criticism levied on him head-on during the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl. But Sunday was a step back to public petulance for him, and it’s worth wondering if Newton’s all-around maturity will ever be equal to his talent level.