OT- Thoughts on Richard Sherman interview

Submitted by Wee-Bey Brice on
By now we've all seen the now infamous post-game rant/interview that Richard Sherman delivered on national television last night. Since the interview, I've been paying attention to a lot of the commentary about it and I'm baffled by some of the remarks, quite frankly. - Was he way too amped up? Yes. Although, he did just make the game saving play to send his team to the SB. If Countess made the same play to send us to the NC, I would probably throw my tv into my neighbors yard in celebration. He gets a pass on this one. - Did he lack humility? Yes. However, so does Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. When you can walk the walk, you earn the right to talk the talk. Not saying he's the MJ of cornerbacks but he has been consistently playing at a high level. - Did he scare the piss out of Erin Andrews? Yep. But at least it was funny. My point is that while he was over the top with his approach, he didn't do anything to deserve to be labeled as a classless thug. He didn't curse, he didn't make personal attacks outside of football and he didn't put his hands on anyone. In other words, he did EXACTLY what we wanted him to do; he gave us quality reality TV. He yelled at the top of his lungs but essentially all he said was "I'm the best in the game, don't throw to my side of the field unless you're throwing to Jerry Rice". Nothing about that statement screams "thug". Of course having grown up on the Eastside of Detroit I'm a little more familiar with actual thugs than most, but I just don't see how he's being labeled as anything other than what he is. He's a very intelligent, Stanford graduate that plays football better than most and will make sure you know that he's better than you. Cocky? Indeed. Classless thug? Don't think so. What'd you take away from the interview? ******sorry for crappy format, posted from iPhone****
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atom evolootion

January 20th, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^

That yellow-blocked phrase right there... Wow! Shouldn't ever surprise me, though. As long as the races have been mixed together in this country, neighbors still can't seem to understand that everybody whose skin color is similar to that of the next man or woman doesn't carry himself or herself the same... For every Sherman, there's a rod woodson. For every Gary Payton, there's a Walter Payton...

Joined: 11/03/2013

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taistreetsmyhero

January 20th, 2014 at 3:07 PM ^

where success as a professional often requires accommodating your actions to the confines of established social norms.

but in the average compton, inner city chicago, etc. etc. neighborhood where a lot of black players grew up?

it's really my opinion that ascribing an action as being indicative of a culture is not what is morally bankrupt here; it is denegrating the action for dubious reasons.

Joined: 08/08/2012

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taistreetsmyhero

January 20th, 2014 at 10:28 AM ^

Is an integral part of the game for me in terms of fan entertainment.

I would pay for an NFL-R channel where they mic up every player.

To me, pro sports are like reality TV. If you're looking for class there, I don't know what to tell ya.

Joined: 08/08/2012

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BlackOps2ForLife

January 20th, 2014 at 10:32 AM ^

If people are concerned with class so much, they should watch golf.

NOTE: I love shit talking in football and other sports, but still love golf. Now, golf is a game that I don't think shit talking needs to be in. That is absolutely a gentlemens' game, which is why Sergio Garcia got so much shit (OOPS...there I go swearing again...I'm such a thug) for his comments about Tiger Woods and fried chicken.

Joined: 01/06/2014

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Section 1

January 20th, 2014 at 11:02 AM ^

I didn't watch either NFL game.

I did watch the Humana/Bob Hope tournament.

I'll happily watch the Phoenix Open rather than any Super Bowl hype.  I'd probably watch the replay of the Euro Tour event on Golf Channel, rather than an NFL game including the Super Bowl.  If there were any Michigan guys playing in the Super Bowl, I might reconsider.

Joined: 06/29/2009

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LSAClassOf2000

January 20th, 2014 at 10:28 AM ^

Strangely enough, Forbes had an interesting perspective on this (LINK). In the list of brief thoughts that writer Tommy Tomlinson goes through here, there are a few things that he points out that are insightful about the situation, I think.

One of the more interesting points is something that I believe is the case - we chide athletes for what seem like canned quotes, and then you get a moment like this an people decry it as "classless". It might have been a little overdramatic (and calling out individual players isn't the most tactful thing to do perhaps), and I am not the biggest Richard Sherman fan, but if I am the sideline reporter, I would say "mission accomplished" with that moment admittedly. 

Spraking to that, Tomlinson indeed points out that moments like that interview are essentially what the media wants to get from athletes, that initial reaction. Tomlinson also seems to call out people for going on about this interview but very little being made of the repeated showings of Bowman's rather grusesome injury. 

Humorously, he does mention the moment when Sherman called out Bayless on his own show, so there is that. 

Anyway, it's an interesting read that makes some good points. 

 

Joined: 01/07/2011

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Stephen Hawking

January 20th, 2014 at 10:29 AM ^

I, for one, am sick and tired of coaches giving 3 word answers to reporters' questions and players giving cliches during postgame. The reporters are there for a reason, and that's to get an inside view of the game on the field. Well, Erin Andrews got exactly that. Don't complain when you get exactly what you want. 

Joined: 10/23/2010

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jdib

January 20th, 2014 at 10:30 AM ^

I'm sorta on the fence about it.  I actually like Richard Sherman.  Yeah he tends to run his mouth a bit.  He is one of the few who runs it and backs it up on the field with play.  You can't argue with success and results are in the numbers.  #1 pass defense in the NFL.  That accolade is not an individual effort though.

 

So, do i think his onfield play warranted that reaction or justified it in the interview? Maybe.  What needs to be understood is actions or swear words aside, you are a representative of the entire NFL organization.  This game is broadcasted on a local channel and there are millions of kids watching.  Do you want your kid to idolize Russell Wilson or Richard Sherman?

That being said, emotions were running high and he made a game winning play. I don't think telling Crabtree he is a sorry receiver was justified but given the situation, i think i will give him a pass unless this type of action starts becoming the norm for him.

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An Angelo's Addict

January 20th, 2014 at 10:32 AM ^

I found it very entertaining and that's the reason I enjoy watching TV. He was amped up from just making the play of the game to send his team to the SB. Not sure why some people are acting like they are so personally offended

Joined: 07/12/2011

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DealerCamel

January 20th, 2014 at 10:32 AM ^

I have a love-hate relationship with the thing.  Maybe it was right, maybe it was wrong, who knows.  I was entertained and off-put simultaneously for a few seconds, and in ten years it won't matter.

Joined: 07/25/2012

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riverrat

January 20th, 2014 at 10:37 AM ^

As usual, Deadspin is all over this...

Link.

He's playing a part, getting coverage, causing all of us to endlessly worry about how his behavior holds up to other standards from bygone eras.  The game is played at such a high level, at such intensity, that it's hard for us to understand sometimes...

And for what it's worth, I just fell even more in love with Erin Andrews, because she asked an actual follow-up question, deviating from her script in order to ask about something he said...

 

Joined: 02/01/2009

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SysMark

January 20th, 2014 at 10:38 AM ^

I thought it was funny - by far the most interesting post-game moment.  In fact the only interesting one.  Also, Erin Andrews handled it impressively well.

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GoBlueRandy

January 20th, 2014 at 10:44 AM ^

I have no problem with trash talk during the game. but to call someone out personally, by name, on national tv after the fact was pretty classless in my opinion.

Joined: 06/13/2010

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BlueReign

January 20th, 2014 at 10:44 AM ^

When Harbaugh has been saying in interviews that Crabtree is the greatest pass catcher in the game, and a guy makes a game winning stop against said guy to go send his team to the super bowl, i expect him to be a bit jacked up.

Was it over the top? Yep. Did that fact bother me or change my opinion of him? No.

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Never

January 20th, 2014 at 10:45 AM ^

Emotional, just contributed to the game winning play, first time in the Super Bowl, perpetual "us against the world" mentality, apparently ongoing "rivalry" with Michael Crabtree, deep seated dislike for the 49ers. The media is largely interested in "real" unfiltered reactions - and they got one.

By the headlines I thought he said something...you know, actually OFFENSIVE as opposed to "I'll shut your mouth up".

Joined: 11/07/2009

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TMS-Mr. Ace

January 20th, 2014 at 10:57 AM ^

Did you see the comments thrown about on Twitter last night referring to him? THUG was quite prominent in his mentions...something that wouldn't have happened, at least not nearly at the rate they did with Sherman, had he been white. That's just the truth. And lets not even mention how many N's were thrown his way as well.  So, yes, racism is still alive and well.

Joined: 05/06/2010

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BiSB

January 20th, 2014 at 2:35 PM ^

Certain words/phrases can have neutral meanings and still have serious racial connotations. Any wide receiver can be "scrappy,"  or "deceptively fast," but usually you're talking about a white guy. I'm reminded of Michael Scott calling Stanley "urban" all the time.

In this case, the guy hasn't done anything that would, in normal usage, qualify as thuggish. Trash-talking is not a thuggish. Gang-related activity is thuggish. Larceny and assault are thuggish. Playing within the rules of a football game and then having strong opinions about it is only "thuggish" if you mean it in the racist sense.

Joined: 08/15/2009

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a2_electricboogaloo

January 20th, 2014 at 3:11 PM ^

This is exactly it.  If it was a white guy who gave that exact interview there is no way in hell that it's described as "Thuggish."  People still probably wouldn't have been super crazy about it, but they would have used different adjectives—"Intense, angry, jackass"—stuff like that.  Nowadays, almost everytime a person is described as a thug, it has some sort of racial background, whether or not the person actually intended it to.

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TMS-Mr. Ace

January 20th, 2014 at 3:02 PM ^

I see what you did there. So now I'm the racist because there is absolutely no way people calling Sherman a thug has anything to do with his skin color? How shortsited of me!

Different situation, but I don't remember too many people calling Richie Incognito a thug during his situation. A bully? Yes. A thug? I didn't see it. Let Richard Sherman do something like that...bet it would sound a little different.

Joined: 05/06/2010

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joeyb

January 20th, 2014 at 10:49 AM ^

I didn't care for it, but I thought Erin Andrews' response was hilarious. I don't think we'd even be talking about it if it weren't for her response.

Joined: 10/12/2008

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BiSB

January 20th, 2014 at 10:50 AM ^

I don't care. Either way. Just don't care.

IMHO, it isn't something to be celebrated. It also isn't something to be chastized. They stuck a mic in his face at the end of a long, brutal, physically and emotionally challenging conference title game. He reacted with emotion. It happens. Remember when they stuck a mic in Lloyd's face at halftime against Iowa (?) a few years back for the halftime interview? He basically called the reporter an idiot and walked away. It happens. Emotional people with a great deal invested in their incredibly intense craft will, on occasion, say emotional shit.

You can't ask everything of these guys and then get pissed when they can't flip the switch back to civilized Crash Davis cliche mode before they even get off of the damn field of play.

Joined: 08/15/2009

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BiSB

January 20th, 2014 at 11:15 AM ^

Football players do LOTS of things I can't do at my job. I can't press my co-workers within the first five yards after their desks. I'm not asked to execute a zone blitz very often. And my job isn't an adrenaline-fueled mania demanding nothing but peak physical effort and performance against another human being. And no one puts a mic in my face at my most emotional moments.

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runandshoot

January 20th, 2014 at 4:47 PM ^

I work under a lot of stress from the minute I get in until the minute I leave. There is a lot of pressure and lot of yelling, and a lot of money being made or lost at any given moment based on the minute decisions I make throughout the day. At the end of the day, I have to defend my gains or losses, yet, I don't berate my co-workers or trading counterparties. I don't talk about how great I am and how mediocre someone else is. Nobody does, regardless of how good or how bad things went. I don't do these thing because I am a professional and it's my job, which I am paid to do. There is a reason why the NFL and college limits celebration and there is a penalty called "unsportsmanlike conduct." Because they don't want those things either. Like I said before, controlling emotions are what separates kids from adults, for the most part.

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