My Thoughts on Richard Sherman

Was Richard Sherman a little over the top in his post-game interview? I read an article about Sherman that got me thinking about this question and my own opinion of it. If you have no idea what I am talking about… Start here with the post-game interview, then come back for my thoughts.

In my 20’s I would have said “No way!” Sherman wasn’t over the top at all. When you are an athlete and you come out and crush it like he did, you have earned the right to tell the haters what’s up. Be the best! Say you are the best! Scream it from the mountain tops!

BUT… Like I said, that was what my younger (immature) self would have thought.

Here’s the thing, I get that Crabtree talked some off-season trash. I get that people doubted Sherman. I get that Sherman came out with a chip on his shoulder and a lot to prove. So come out and prove it. Matter of fact, prove it so big on the field that you don’t have to say anything about it, because your actions as an athlete just did the talking. I am the first one to agree that football is an emotional sport and of course that trash talk is part of the game. That being said, I also firmly believe that you have to celebrate with class and athletes have a responsibility to represent their teams (and franchises or schools) well.

It is my belief that “To whom much is given, much will be expected.” Sherman was given a platform as an athlete and part of his responsibility is to use that platform well. Preach your greatness, just not with words. Show how great you are in your actions, in your abilities, in the way you kill it on the football field.

There is a flip side of this conversation that we cannot overlook- if for no other reason than its irony. Just as Sherman has a responsibility to represent himself and his team with excellence, we have a responsibility to be civil human beings and accept that people are different than us. The outcry Sherman got from Twitter and the like was disturbing to me. Yes, people were responding to the poor way they thought he used his platform, and of course it’s easy to hide behind a computer monitor while you pass your judgements. However, my disappointment lies with the people who used their voices to treat Sherman the same way he treated Crabtree. Of course disagree, it’s what makes us human- but to go after Sherman the way some people did? How is that any better than the way Sherman acted?

There are 2 sides to this interview. One side is a great Corner, who ended the game being so clutch on the field that he couldn’t contain himself. He let it out with raw emotion, in front of millions of viewers, and then later apologized. The other side is the reaction of the viewers. Specifically, the ones who couldn’t contain themselves. The ones who let out raw emotion all over social media and have no intent to apologize. In one hand you have the man who makes a bad choice in the heat of emotion and later cleans it up. In the other hand you have the man who makes a bad choice in the heat of emotion and just walks away.

I love the game of football beyond words. I honestly appreciate Richard Sherman’s fire and enthusiasm and I am glad he had enough humility to apologize. I hope the “Best Corner in the Game” can keep his game at the level his mouth is running. For the rest of us, maybe we should just take a lap because the Twitterverse response was less than stellar. We can be better than that.