Leave Richard Sherman The Fuck Alone

For the past 5 days, it's no secret what sports fans have been talking about around the water cooler and every goddamn social networking outlet:

RICHARD SHERMAN.

You know, the bad ass, all-pro cornerback for the Seahawks who made the touchdown saving play against the San Francisco 49ers to get their asses to the Super Bowl. Yeah, that fucking guy. The dude who looks like Busta Rhymes and Booker T.

Everyone who is anyone has read article after article on his post game interview with Erin Andrews and all the shit that went down with him and Crabtree. Anything sports related, there is something about him. Good or bad. Richard Sherman is the talk of the town. Especially to those hardcore Niner fans and everyone who was rooting against the Seahawks that Sunday.

I'm not going to sit here and argue with anyone or repost some bullshit about how he's not a thug from Compton, CA or graduated from Stanford University with a 3.7 GPA. If you're reading this right now, you've already read all that shit about him and everything that goes along with it.

What I'm here to talk about is how everyone who is hating on this guy needs to leave him the fuck alone.

You know, as a die hard Raiders and Lakers fan, I love sports...OVERALL. There are so many teams I hate as well as individuals. But at the end of the day, being a fan I can appreciate talented players and teams. I mean, if you were to ask me to write a book on the Pats/Raiders "tuck rule" game, that shit would be as long as a book on the history of women and what the fuck goes on in their goddamn minds daily. That game was probably one of the worst days of my life and the start of my hatred for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. But I digress...

The one thing that hit a nerve with me regarding this whole Sherman debacle was the fact that people actually called this dude "classless". Are you fucking kidding me?! Dude goes on a tirade (which by the way, could have been a thousand times worst considering how amped up he was) on how he's the greatest, Crabtree is basically an awful receiver and we go and crucify the guy. For telling us his opinion while being all loud, adrenaline crazed and fucking pumped on national television. Really people? Really?

For those of you who don't know, during the NFL season, I work for the Oakland Raiders. Being there for 7 seasons, I will tell you that I have heard worst shit coming out of players mouths directed towards one another and to fans than what I heard from Richard Sherman. But we want to talk about classless?

Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather, Deion Sanders, Terrell Owens, Rasheed Wallace, Michael Jordan, Gary Payton, Pedro Martinez, Bill Romanowski, Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley, Mike Tyson, Shannon Sharpe, Larry Bird...these are some of the biggest trash talkers pro sports has ever seen. On and off camera, these guys said what was on their mind and had no fucks to give. EVER.

Again, are you fucking kidding me about Sherman? The shit this guy said doesn't even compare to the list above. Matter of fact, I wouldn't even call it trash talk when you put him up against these guys I've listed. And for those who know this list and have seen these athletes run their mouths, you know Sherman's outburst was probably mediocre at best. Real talk.

As fans and people who have played the game, we all need to realize something...it's a game. A physical game. An intense, I'm gonna make you feel it tomorrow, kinda game. This isn't a game for pussies. These guys are out there to hurt each other for 60 goddamn minutes then afterwards, tell one another "Hell of a game, man." Isn't that what Sherman did? According to him being mic'd up on Sunday against the Niners, he sure did. But hey, fuck him, right? Classless piece of shit. SMH.

You know what I find to be classless, people? Classless to me are those Seahawks fans who threw food at Bowman being carted off after a great play. Classless to me were Denver fans throwing snowballs with batteries in them at Raiders players during a Broncos home game some years ago. Classless to me was the brawl at the Palace when shit got insanely crazy when the Pacers and Pistons went ape shit on the court and in the stands. But one guy says some stuff in an aggressive but non-explicit manner and he's classless?

GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE.

You know what I find funny, is that in baseball, when a pitcher intentionally tries to bean a batter it's considered "retaliation". They aren't considered dirty, classless or thugs because for some reason, "it's part of the game". It's an unwritten rule with pitchers to show they have their teammates back. Think about that people. Some pitchers intentionally try to throw a 80-100 mph fastball at a player because they are retaliating. But you don't see every fucking media outlet call these guys "classless" or label them as something negative to the point it becomes this huge controversy. Just like hockey when fools fuck each other up. So why...why are we crucifying a guy for making a good play, calling himself the best and calling a guy out? Because he's black and from Compton, CA? Because if that's the case, I have lost all hope in humanity. And motherfuckers are ignorant and stupid. Period.

Earlier this week, The Huffington Post wrote a really great column on what we've learned through this whole Sherman debacle and if there's one thing that I wanted to point out from that column was this:

"Last night, when Richard Sherman went on his rant to Erin Andrews, most of America thought they were learning about the arrogance of another NFL player. But in reality, what Richard Sherman did was teach us about ourselves. He taught us that we're still a country that isn't ready for lower-class Americans from neighborhoods like Compton to succeed. We're still a country that can't decipher a person's character. But most of all, he taught us that no matter what you overcome in your life, we're still a country that can't accept someone if they're a little louder, a little prouder, or a little different from the people we surround ourselves with.

In the words of the great Richard Sherman, there is only one question: You mad, bro?"

We are so quick to judge people for their actions, especially when under the spotlight. I am guilty of this too. But let's wake the fuck up and think. I know some folks don't give two shits about the Sherman ordeal and some who can't shut the fuck up about it. Mainly, Niner fans who aren't going to see their team go to the Super Bowl and people who hate the Seahawks. You mad, bro?

Remember y'all, it's football. You think guys are out there giving one another hugs and crying after they get hit after every play? Fuck no. These guys are playing for their team, their teammates and trying to get to the big dance...regardless of what you want to believe. Shit talking or not you're never going to change an athlete for who they are. Especially people like Richard Sherman.

And if you're still upset about trash talking another athlete on national television, then you better hate one of the greatest boxers of all-time, Muhammad Ali: