I want to talk about someone you probably haven’t heard much about lately.
Just kidding, it’s Richard Sherman. He’s been everywhere in the media lately.
After the Seahawks’ NFC championship win Jan. 19, most of the country saw his controversial interview with Erin Andrews, and even more of the country had a comment on it. Most people had negative reactions, but I loved every second of it, and I still do.
People laughed at first, but soon an offensive term rose to the surface: thug.
Although he is straight out of Compton, Calif., Sherman is anything but a thug. He was salutatorian of the class of 2006 at Dominguez High School with a GPA of 4.2.
He then continued his education at Stanford, where he majored in communication. And guess what? He was a talker then, too.
So he wins a huge game, and people act like he should be able to easily control his emotions right there, straight off the field.
Do you expect a professional football player to compose his thoughts for an eloquent speech right after winning a game of such importance?
No, of course you don’t!
That’s why the cameras are there to begin with. Fireworks are cool, and Gatorade showers are great, but the cameras are there to catch that moment when a player says something extraordinary.
Why is Erin Andrews on the sidelines rather than in the studio? She’s there to pry these moments out of people, though in this case Sherman didn’t take much prying.
There’s no value left in the theory that Sherman was taunting Michael Crabtree after the game – Sherman had on a microphone and is clearly heard complimenting Crabtree on his game.
Crabtree is also clearly seen shoving Sherman’s face. I’d be angry, and I’m guessing most other people would be, too.
So here’s the big question. Is Sherman really the best corner in the NFL as he says?
Yes, he is. After being drafted 154th in the 2011 NFL Draft, he now leads all players with 14 interceptions and 47 passes defended.
Sherman is not only a phenomenal athlete, he’s also an interesting person – I’d go so far as to even call him a good one.
In college he was a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, and started working on his master’s degree during his last year of eligibility at Stanford.
In 2013 he also launched Blanket Coverage, The Richard Sherman Family Foundation, which helps provide school supplies and clothing for underprivileged children.
Love him or hate him, he’s more famous now than he was, and all of America will be watching him very closely come Sunday.
Column by Mallory Tucker, Staff writer
