Richard Sherman continues to be one of the most intriguing figures in modern sport: he has today pointed out the absurd hypocrisy at play in the NFL in his weekly column with the Players' Tribune.
Sherman was greatly taken by this touchdown by Andrew Hawkins, mocking Roger Goodell for wishing NFL players to act like robots.
https://youtu.be/DDCZ2g51ouk
Sherman writes that he loved the celebration, before skewering Goodell and the NFL in a couple of sentences.
Here's the excerpt:
I thought it was hilarious because, as the saying goes, In jest, there is truth.
This is what the NFL wants, right? It wants players who score a touchdown to hand the ball to the official and walk away. To act like they’ve been there before.
Which is really just another example of the inconsistency — and to a degree, the hypocrisy — of the NFL.
Antonio Brown can’t twerk after a touchdown because it’s “sexually suggestive.” But every Sunday, on most sidelines, there are rows of cheerleaders doing the same types of moves to entertain the crowd.
The NFL doesn’t want players to do anything that might set a bad example for the kids in its audience — such as showboat, or celebrate excessively — yet it features beer ads in all of its stadiums and in almost every commercial break. Josh Norman can’t shoot an imaginary bow and arrow after a big pick because the NFL says that it depicts a “violent act.” Meanwhile, the name of the team he plays for depicts Native Americans in a way that many people consider offensive.
Superb.
Sherman goes on to criticise the NFL's stance on domestic abuse, and also believes that part of the reason for the NFL's drop in ratings is their wish to have the players act like "robots", before ending on his belief that the "commissioner has too much power". Stirring stuff.
In other, non-robot related activities, Sherman delivered a press conference yesterday dressed as Harry Potter. His son asked him to do it. That led him to saunter into the press room wearing robes, playing the theme tune on his phone.
Richard Sherman goes full Harry Potter in pre-Halloween press conference. #Seahawks @thenewstribune pic.twitter.com/az0chsAJrZ
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) October 26, 2016
What a man.
[Players' Tribune]
