Richard Sherman’s post-game interview following the Seattle Seahawks’ National Football Conference Championship victory over the San Francisco ’49ers captured the ear of the nation and raised questions about race in sports.
Following Sherman’s interview, sports fans took to the Internet to give their two cents on what they thought of the Seahawks cornerback. Unfortunately, most of them were well off the mark of who Richard Sherman actually is and even more of them forgot to comment on the interview itself.
The most common insult levied at Sherman was his being called a thug. By this time, I’m sure that most people have seen the countless counterarguments about Sherman’s past. We all know about his 4.2 GPA in a school district that only graduates 57 percent of its students, his degree from Stanford University or his “Blanket Coverage” charity, which provides as many children as possible with adequate school supplies and clothes. It’s safe to say that this man is one of the furthest things from a thug on a football field today. As a bit of a side note, the overpaid quip is also false. Sherman is still on his rookie contract. His salary for 2013 is $600,606 – hardly raking it in hand over fist compared to most players of his quality.
You’ve also probably heard that calling an athlete a thug is the new equivalent of calling him “the N word” or any other racial slur. Considering the immediate response was to compare Sherman to the likes of quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, it’s hard to argue otherwise.  While there is no doubt in my mind that Manning and Brees are consummate professionals, one only needed to look to the Seahawks sideline for quarterback Russell Wilson to find a stand-up professional athlete.  Hop on YouTube and search for “Wilson’s Special Wallet” to see the type of person that he is.
Former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Richie Incognito initially made headlines for his “bullying” of fellow Dolphin offensive lineman Jonathan Martin. Incognito was also called one of the dirtiest players in the NFL by other players. Incognito might have been an ass and a shady guy, but never once was Incognito called a thug.
San Diego Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers is one of the cockiest players in the NFL. I, a die-hard Denver Broncos fan since age seven, remember numerous games when Rivers taunted defenders and one where he took his verbal pound of flesh from now-Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. Is Rivers’s cocky behavior any better than Sherman’s? If Sherman was called a thug for a handful of words after an interview, surely Phillip Rivers falls into the same category.
Quarterback Johnny Manziel is hands down the cockiest football player in recent memory. He’s the type of guy that knows he’s good and wants everyone else to know, too. Manziel also embodied every stereotype of a college kid, and before he was handed the starting job at Texas A&M, Manziel was arrested for getting into a fight and presenting a fake ID to the responding police. Manziel? Not a thug.
Former University of Arkansas quarterback and NFL wide receiver Matt Jones is the best example of what the word “thug” really means when used to describe professional athletes.  Jones was arrested multiple times for felony possession of a controlled substance, cocaine. Jones was Tim Tebow without the religion and with the agreed position change. He was never that good on the field, but he let you know how he felt about himself after every play, but it’s hard to find many people who considered Jones a thug.
Personally, I enjoy the banter on the field between players. We all loved Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and the other great trash talkers in sports history. The idea that athletes are on the playing surface giving their opponents props for beating them is as far-fetched as the belief that Sherman is anywhere near a thug. Michael Crabtree didn’t exactly take anything Sherman said about him lying down and didn’t filter his words when asked about Sherman’s thoughts on his play.
Remember that the 49ers and the Seahawks are rivals. The players don’t like each other, the coaches don’t like each other, the fans don’t like each other and the owners don’t like each other.  I’ve never heard a Saints fan call Lance Moore a thug for any number of over-the-top cocky gestures he makes on the field, especially against the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers or Dallas Cowboys ,nor have I heard a Saints fan ever say: “He should be more like Marques Colston. Colston just goes out there, does his job and goes back to the sideline, AND he’s underpaid for his production.”
Is it a double-standard? It might be, but it is definitely America’s new way of subtly being racist. There’s nothing wrong with not enjoying the trash-talking side of sports. Anyone can respect that. However, there’s plenty wrong with attacking a man’s character, a man you don’t know, mind you, because he’s doing the same thing that your favorite player on your favorite team is doing on the field. He just has a bit more melanin in his skin and dreadlocks.