Richard Sherman doesn't mince words. Regardless of whether you're Michael Crabtree, someone who lived in his dorm at Stanford, or the commissioner of the NFL, if Sherman disagrees with you, he's going to let you know.
Today, Sherman published a lengthy takedown of the NFL and Roger Goodell titled "Common Sense," and posted it on The Players' Tribune. In the piece, Sherman says Goodell wants players to act like robots, as Cleveland wide receiver Andrew Hawkins jokingly did after scoring a touchdown Oct. 9.
Sherman said the NFL is inconsistent and hypocritical, and he juxtaposed how the league wants its players to behave with how it behaves.
"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," Sherman wrote. "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."
Yeah, Sherman told them how he really feels. Sherman said he thinks the league's decreasing TV ratings could be partially attributed to "the NFL legislating the emotion out of the game."
He didn't just call out the league as a nameless whole, though. He went right at Goodell.
"Part of the problem is that players are being told to 'act like they’ve been there' by a group of people who have never been there themselves—Roger Goodell chief among them," Sherman wrote. "I also think one of the things that needs to happen is for Roger Goodell to give up some of his power. He’s not an all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful being. He’s human, and I think he needs help dealing with the issues facing the league—from unsportsmanlike conduct to domestic violence."
Sherman called for an objective third-party arbitration system, and more checks and balances within the league.
Clearly, Sherman made some valid points. He has a perspective Goodell will never understand—that of being an actual NFL player. We hope Goodell can humble himself enough to listen to the players he's supposed to be serving.
