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Cam Newton was busy playing in the Super Bowl, so he wasn't watching the commercials. But it would do him some good to go back and watch the T-Mobile spot that featured Steve Harvey.

The commercial began with Harvey saying, "Folks, I have to apologize. Again."

It was a reference to his turn as host of the Miss Universe Pageant in December when he named the wrong winner. And after explaining how Verizon used outdated data in commercials to denigrate T-Mobile's coverage, Harvey exclaimed, "Verizon got it wrong. Yes! Not me!"

It was amazingly smart by both the advertiser and Harvey, who turned humiliation into a positive.

Newton needs help with that after his childish performance following Carolina's 24-10 loss to Denver.

Newton pulled in an estimated $11 million in 2015 with endorsement deals that included Gatorade, Under Armour, Dannon Yogurt, Belk Electronics, Beats by Dre and L'Oreal Drakkar Essence fragrance. They paid him big bucks because of his talent and his image as a successful, happy player who danced his way to the NFL's MVP award.

The market for sore losers and big babies is considerably less lucrative. And Newton came across as an enormously sore loser after the Panthers' defeat.

Newton gave short, sometimes monosyllabic answers to reporters' questions. He was surly and uncooperative.

The journalists were doing their jobs. They had a right to expect Newton to do his and answer a few questions.

And, let's be clear — the questions weren't tough. The Carolina quarterback wasn't being badgered. Questions were even asked with a good deal of empathy — some reporters pretty much included excuses for Newton or commiserated with him in their questions.

But, after three minutes of non-cooperation, Newton — who was happy to accept all the praise he'd received all season long — said, "I'm done, man," got up and left.

ESPN analyst/former 49ers and BYU quarterback Steve Young — himself the Super Bowl XXIX MVP and a two-time NFL MVP — said on air that he understood what Newton was feeling. But he didn't give him a pass.

"You're the MVP," Young said. "You're the guy that's going to be the face of the franchise; you're the face of the NFL going forward; you were the dabber. This is the moment to actually show that resilience on the other side. And so, stand in there, answer the questions.

"It's three minutes. ... Even if you just spit the words out, take a deep breath, answer the questions."

It may well be that Newton wasn't angry with the reporters, as so many have speculated on social media. Turns out that as he was being asked questions, he could hear Denver cornerback Chris Harris at a nearby press conference, understandably gloating about how the Broncos had forced the Panthers to pass — which didn't go well for Carolina.

Yes, it's understandable that Newton would have been ticked off about that. And the NFL's postgame interview setup clearly was substandard.

But, you've got to be a grownup. Get through it without making yourself look bad.

Maybe one of the products Newton endorses can come up with a clever commercial in which Cam can be apologetic and self-deprecating.

Just don't repeat one of Harvey's lines from the T-Mobile ad — don't say, "I'm not taking responsibility on this one!"

Scott D. Pierce covers TV for The Salt Lake Tribune. Email him at spierce@sltrib.com; follow him on Twitter @ScottDPierce.