Cam Newton speaks

Photo:  AP/Marcio Jose Sanchez

When Vince Lombardi said, “show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser,” it ended up in management text books.

Lombardi had a luxury that Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton didn’t have when he sulked after losing the Super Bowl the other night, and stormed out of his postgame news conference.

Newton had the nerve to live Lombardi’s preach and he’s still paying a heavy price two days after the game.

Today, Newton addressed the issue and called out the columnists and talk-show crowd who’ve found an easy target.

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“As far as trying to be like this person, trying to be like that person … the truth of the matter is I’m not trying to be like this person,” he said.

He’s talking about Peyton Manning, the Super Bowl-winning quarterback of the Denver Broncos.

“Whether Newton has faced louder criticism as a result of his race has been a common topic throughout the NFL season. We can’t definitively state whether race played a role this time around. No one can, really,” Huffington Post writer Erick Fernandez wrote yesterday. “But it is worth noting that another quarterback once demonstrated poor sportsmanship after a Super Bowl loss as well, but didn’t face nearly as much criticism. His name is Peyton Manning.”