Never mind that Richard Sherman has defied all the stereotypes you would

typically place on Black kid from Compton, for some he's still not good

enough. Richard gives of his time often to help kids in need. He

visits his alma mater Dominguez High School; he visits kids in the

hospital, buys students laptops, and so on. Just last year Richard did a

tour with our SWAG-Student With A Goal campaign to promote academic

excellence in L.A. He talked to students in Compton, Watts, and South

Central about the importance of education. His mother, brother and a

few other family members joined us on the tour. When we tried to get

media for the event, very few showed up. Ironically, several didn't

think what he was doing that day was much of a story. Simply put there

wasn't any drama or something negative to point out. How many of the

critics can say that they give of their time and resources the way

Richard does? And how many of the athletes some consider "class acts" go

back to their neighborhood and or high school (on their own dime)

encouraging kids to follow their academic example?

If that interview had been a white player talking to a white reporter, it would have been covered completely differently. Tom Brady or Bill Belicheck can say whatever they want after a game...... 

http://www.cbssports.com/general/writer/gregg-doyel/24414957/hate-shermans-r

>If that interview had been a white player talking to a white reporter, it would have been covered completely differently.

I'm getting the sense that some folks really are dying to play the race card about the reaction to Sherman's postgame rant. 

I'm with Native on this one, and just calling it like i see it. With these immediate postgame mic'ups, i think we're all used to seeing an out of breath athlete pass an occasionally-profane generality not directed at anyone in particular, maybe a "F**k yeah!" (we did it!) kind of thing.  But that's typically about the extent of the pointedness, save for the odd "Nobody believed in us! THIS is for the doubters!" type stuff.  Other than that, all we usually see and hear is the same breathless tripe about being champions and played a helluva game and give those guys credit, etc etc etc.

But that's not what we got here. We got a furious young man, visibly puffing himself up and getting up in the grill of the camera, eyes all big and expression VERY confrontational, and then proceed to yell at the camera violently, berating and personally belittling his opponent, and strutting and preening himself.  That's not what we're used to.  Oh, it's definitely the way things are headed, and someday Richard Sherman will probably be hailed as an innovator, but it's not how we've always had things, nor, i believe, how we've wanted them.

It was shocking and jarring, and for me at least, totally unprofessional and inappropriate.  I get the heat of battle thing, and i think it's pretty certain all would have benefited from a few more seconds of time to decompress and compose oneself.  I can't speak for anyone else, but i promise you that if i watched Riley Cooper or Todd Johnson or Rex Grossman or any other white NFLer's that i otherwise like carrying on in that manner, i'd have been just as put off.  And i'm thinking the coverage would have been just the same.

Sherman has hurt himself here, at least in some circles, by not backing down and by affirming his thoughts repeatedly, and since he is such a strong personality and screen presence, IMO this is what has prolonged the coverage and discussion. Most others would have backed down more concretely and been more contrite, and their coverage would have waned accordingly.  Sherman's not that guy, though.  I really don't know what to say to those wanting to make this about race. To me it's just about one guy jumping through our televisions in a way which we don't find acceptable.