NFL: Has Sherman been painted as "the" NFL bad guy?

Is Richard Sherman a bad guy? Photo credit NFL 

by Nathaniel Herrick 

All over the internet and other media outlets, Seattle Seahawks defensive back Richard Sherman is either being portrayed as a "thug" or the NFL's newest bad guy. Even as a faithful San Francisco 49ers fan, I'm in inclined to believe that they've got the picture all wrong, Sherman was just caught up in the moment.


What sparked this whole ordeal was when Sherman went on a rant in a post-game interview with FOX sports journalist, Erin Andrews, saying "Well I'm the best corner in the game! When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that's the result you gonna get!." To most people that sounds arrogant, self-absorbed, and degrading, but what we didn't hear at first was what Sherman said to Crabtree moments after Sherman tipped the ball for a game winning interception by Seattle's Malcolm Smith, in which Sherman ran up to Crabtree and said, "Hell of a game, hell of a game!" and Crabtree responded by shoving Sherman in the face, and that's when pure emotion took over Sherman.

Sherman would later apologize for his actions, then the NFL released the mic'd up clash between Sherman and Crabtree, we hear what Sherman said to Crabtree, and Andrews. He also followed up by congratulating 49ers wideout Quinton Patton, and found Niners RB LaMichael James, and made sure he was okay, especially since he got lit up by former 49ers WR Ricardo Lockette during a punt return in which his helmet got ripped off.

So is Sherman really a bad guy? Or is he just old-school football? This debate could go on forever, but from my judgement, he was only acting out of emotion. He had a right to be emotional, the Seahawks had just clinched a Super Bowl berth for only the second time in franchise history, and it's really no different than the Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice rivalry, and now those two are decorated idols of the American children and players on the field today.