Even in their most successful season in franchise history, the Carolina Panthers felt the sting of how their 2015 campaign ended for quite some time. That certainly goes for one of the organization’s all-time greats in Jonathan Stewart.
The former Panthers running back reflected upon his Super Bowl 50 experience with WCNC’s Charlotte Today this week. When asked by host (and familiar radio voice of the team) Eugene Robinson if he’s been able to reconcile the 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos, Stewart admitted it wasn’t a quick fix.
“Yeah, it took a while,” Stewart said. “But I think, at the end of the day, we have a lot of life to live and I’ve lived a good life. And at the end of the day, football—it’s a love of mine.”
Football has loved him back.
2008’s 13th overall pick went on to play 11 seasons of pro ball, capping off a noteworthy career with 7,335 rushing yards and 58 total touchdowns. He retired in 2019 as a one-time Pro Bowler and the Panthers’ all-time leading rusher.
Stewart was also the only Panther to taste the end zone in that Super Bowl defeat, hitting the paint at the 11:25 mark of the second quarter on a glorious 1-yard leap. And it’s that, along with the guys he did it with, that’ll always stick for Stewart.
“I got an opportunity to score in the Super Bowl, I got an opportunity to be in the Super Bowl with people in that locker room that I love so dearly,” he added. “I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”
