By now you have all either seen or heard about the Seattle Seahawks’ Richard Sherman‘s rant after the NFC Championship game on Sunday, where he wanted to introduce himself to the free world as the best cornerback in the NFL along with reminding the world that Michael Crabtree (a fellow member of the NFL) is “mediocre.” A lot to be said in about 15 seconds, but he did it.
To say Sherman was highly emotional would be an understatement. To say Sherman’s actions to discredit a player in the NFL is unprofessional would be true. To say that Sherman is in dire need of attention would be spot on. To say that Sherman’s rant nearly scared the blonde off Fox interviewer Erin Andrews would appear to be close to accurate. Man, Sherman got a lot done in such a short period of time, but there is more.
For the record, Sherman has since apologized for his actions on Sunday, but I fear that will not garner the same coverage as his behavior in his post-game rant. Then again, did you really think that they would think that is a story?
The back story here is there is a history between Crabtree (who has had his own set of issues) and Sherman that dates back to last summer. There had been some yacking between these two well before last Sunday.
Richard Sherman is actually a really good player, perhaps the best this year at his position. With that comes a player who is not short on confidence and who has something to say to anyone within earshot when it comes to who is the better player. Big mouth? Perhaps. Can he back it up? On most Sundays, yes.
So where is the disconnect here? It’s quite simple. There are some who still struggle with the Muhammad Ali phenomenon of a player of color running his mouth and being able to back it up. Throw in the dreads and you have a social media bonanza for those who hide behind the “send” button. Sherman asked for and now he is getting it from all corners of the world outside of the state of Washington.
I am sure that with the Super Bowl in New York this year, Richard Sherman will be a story of some sort. I only hope that those who will attempt to make it an issue will understand that there is more to Sherman than just a rant and the fact that he can really play football in this era. I say that only because Sherman’s antics would have been handled differently by his peers a few years ago. Someone call for a stretcher, as one may be needed. That is no longer the case, so Sherman is safe for now.
Whenever a football player really runs off at the mouth, it normally comes from a cornerback or receiver. Think of Deion Sanders, Ray Buchanan, Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, Chad Johnson, Adam Jones and other wannabes. The list is certainly longer. Pick an era and you will find a player who rubs the game, if not the fans, the wrong way, and yet we come back for more.
But now the media taking their swipes at Sherman and his ilk have become more vicious and partisan. It almost has a tone that would be borderline racist in some circles. Now they will flock to New York for the Super Bowl and the much-anticipated media day to see if they can stir the pot and get Sherman to say something ill about the current anointed face of the league, Peyton Manning.
You can count on it. I myself will try to read those who won’t go there. They will be in the minority for sure. Yep, you know it’s coming, and I think both of these players are too smart to take the bait as there is too much at stake.
