The backlash has been running wild after Richard Sherman called out San Francisco wide receiver Michael Crabtree during a post-game interview with FOX reporter Erin Andrews. The Seattle cornerback ripped the wide receiver while boosting his own play after the Seahawks won the NFC championship game. The comments were not well-received and now Sherman and head coach Pete Carroll are going on the defense as the team prepares for the Super Bowl.
"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 Monday in a text message to ESPN's Ed Werder.
Sherman went into detail on ESPN radio saying that he should have worded things differently instead of openly attacking another player. The cornerback was responsible for tipping a pass in the endzone that could have been the game-winning touchdown. Instead it was intercepted and the Seahawks sealed the win. Sherman said his rant was simply meant to say that he was the best cornerback in the league and Crabtree can talk all he wants in the offseason, but Sherman could play above that.
"I was making sure everyone knew Crabtree was a mediocre receiver," Sherman said. "And when you try the best corner in the game with a mediocre receiver, that's what happens. I appreciate that he knows that now. There has been a lot of talk from him running his mouth about me."
Sherman has received plenty of backlash on social media for his interview. The cornerback wrote into mmqb.com saying people should be ashamed of themselves for judging his character and calling him a thug because of one interview. Carroll also went on the defense for his star cornerback saying he simply made a small mistake.
"We aren't perfect, and we all make mistakes," Carroll said, via 710 ESPN Seattle radio. "Things don't always come out exactly as we planned. I look at it like this: What would I tell my son? I'm a dad. I speak from that perspective. Maybe [the players] don't always want to hear it that way, but it's the best way I can communicate. That has already taken place, and we've already talked about it."
Carroll said that Sherman did violate the standard guidelines that Seattle holds their players to, but he believes the cornerback will grow from this and learn. It certainly is not the first time that Sherman has been out spoken regarding his play, but the national attention to this moment might change that.
"We try to stick to Rule No. 1, which is always protect the team," Carroll said. "It's the rule we live by. You always represent us. In a time like that one, it was a little bit representing yourself. How we handle it is we try to grow and learn and work our way through who we are and figure out who we want to be. This was an extraordinary learning opportunity. You'll see some benefit from it."
