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Outspoken Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman apologizes for postgame antics
Given a day to reflect – and perhaps see the day-long reaction on Twitter – Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman apologized for what made him the hottest subject in America on Monday.
Sherman, known as one of the loudest talkers in the NFL, made one of the biggest plays in Seahawks history, breaking up a pass that was intercepted by linebacker Malcolm Smith in the end zone to clinch Seattle's second NFC title. Then he taunted 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree, gave a choke sign to quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and called Crabtree "sorry" in a heated postgame interview with Fox's Erin Andrews. He was the top trending topic on Twitter almost all day Monday.
By Monday afternoon, he was sorry. He sent a text message to ESPN's Ed Werder apologizing for his actions.
"I apologize for attacking an individual and taking the attention away from the fantastic game by my teammates ... That was not my intent," Sherman said, according to ESPN.
He also expressed some regrets on ESPN Radio's "SVP and Russillo" show.
"Obviously I could have worded things better and could obviously have had a better reaction and done things differently," he said on that show. "But it is what it is now, and people's reactions are what they are."
The reaction was fierce against Sherman, especially on social media. A lot of it was overstated. Sherman is a passionate player, a great cornerback, who clearly has second thoughts about some ill-advised actions in the heat of a huge and emotional game. It wasn't his best look, but it happens.
He's not a bad person or the villain he's being made out to be by some, just an outspoken player who for at least 24 hours suddenly became the most famous player in the NFL, and probably not for the reasons he wanted.
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is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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