As the dust settles on last weekend’s NFC Championship, what do we remember? Was it the heroics of Russel Wilson? The amazing catches by Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse?
The strength of the Seahawks defence?
No, what we remember from that memorable game is Richard Sherman’s twenty second interview with Erin Andrews.
The penultimate play of that game saw an amazing intercept by Seahawk Malcolm Smith athletically aided with a pat down by Richard Sherman which deprived Michael Crabtree from the winning touchdown.
A football player is mainly judged by their actions between the lines and for that Richard Sherman most certainly earned his share of the limelight. The play was simply magnificent.
Being responsible for sending his team to the Superbowl earned him the right to celebrate however he wanted, though his actions after that is up to individual evaluation.
Sherman, following typical celebrations then chased after a distraught Crabtree to abuse him further with insults and a ‘choke’ action.
Crabtree justifiably reacted angrily refusing a handshake offered by the Seahawks cornerback and pushing him instead.
Sherman cites an offseason insult by Crabtree at a benefit by Larry Fitzgerald as the reason for his personal vendetta. Rivalries are always great in sport and the way these two have conducted themselves assures an exciting NFC West over the next few years.
Though in regards to Sherman he has again showed pure lack of class.
No one doubts his greatness and of course no one doubts that he is one of the best corners in the game, but his insecure nature was visible that night.
Planned or not, Sherman was desperate to force his way into our consciousness and his determination to be noticed will now negatively affect his reputation.
It must be understood that he is an educated individual, he graduated from Stanford with honours along with his many charity involvements, demonstrating that he is a man of many talents and can be deemed more respectable than most of his colleagues.
Though a great reputation built on years of good work can be tarnished in one swift action, and that is exactly what has occurred.
At only twenty-five he has ample time to repair the damage he caused.
He isn’t the first player to run his mouth, but if you look at players that have done so in the past, such as Ray Lewis (who is no doubt a hall of famer); one noticeable difference is that they always respected their opponents and left everything on the field.
It is unimaginable that Lewis would have carried on the same way Sherman did, and it was his class, respect and leadership which caused people to love him. Sherman simply made it personal and showed that he still has lessons to learn on becoming a true professional.
It is one thing to conduct ‘gamesmanship’ on the field or even immediately after during the interviews, but to continue it shows a lack of respect.
Most players would have calmed down after some time, though as evident in the press conference hours after the game, Sherman continued with his bullish attack against Crabtree, repeatedly calling him ‘mediocre’.
It is fine for him to express his opinion and he has every right to do so, though he must accept the ramifications of his actions. It cannot go both ways for him.
The bigger picture is that Sherman took away from his team’s accomplishments which could irritate his teammates towards the lead up to the Superbowl.
His leadership qualities are definitely in question simply because true leaders would never let personal issues affect the team.
Being a professional athlete has its responsibilities and limitations. His responsibility on and off the field is to do whatever he can to help his franchise and stay clear of things that would affect the team environment.
His actions that night along with his behaviour last year on an interview with Skip Bayliss does not do him any favours in enhancing his reputation, but more importantly it affects the reputation of the Seattle Seahawks.
As a result of his antics you can be sure that many neutral fans would be rooting against the Seahawks in the Superbowl.
Though this is not solely his fault, he is a product of his environment; the organisation is also to blame. Pete Carroll instils an ‘us against the world’ underdog type of mentality every time they step on the field.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, it’s simply just his style and evidently it works. Though this method of coaching comes with consequences and as a result his players will act this way.
He cultivates an environment that promotes self expression in which he leads by example.
Unlike somebody like Bill Belichick, who personifies a calm professional demeanour which reflects on his players and staff. This would never have happened in a team like New England.
In the end the game needs characters and Sherman is definitely one of them. His actions with this interview along with the incident with Skip Bayless and Trent Williams earlier in his career could simply be a result of his young age.
Though there is no doubt that he has the talent and knowledge to be able to restore his reputation.
The important thing is that his actions off the field are justified by his greatness on it.
Though what separates the good from the great is the way they react in certain situations and how they handle it and as evident on the weekend, this is still something Richard Sherman needs to learn.
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