Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has been encouraged to run for office after he retires, but he said that he would rather teach and coach kids after his playing career is over so they can use football to obtain the opportunities that they may not otherwise get.
Sherman wrote in his MMQB column:
People have asked me about a life after football, and more than once I’ve been asked about a life in politics. Sorry, but it’s not for me. I want to stay around the game of football and teach as many kids as I can. I want kids to experience football as a gateway to visit places and see new things, the way it was for me. It’s been a gift from God to be able to play the game and understand it at a high level, and I think I need to share it.
His senator, Maria Cantwell (D-WA), stoked those flames even more by holding a “Sherman 4 Prez” sign during the team’s championship parade.
After his rant heard around the world, Sherman made one of the more politically-charged statements by saying that when people referred to him as a “thug” for his post-game interview even though he has never gotten in trouble off the field, it was just another way, in that instance, of calling him the “N-word.”
Since those comments, though, Sherman, the Stanford alum who grew up on the tough streets of Compton with two great parents, has put his communications degree to good work. He has handled the press better than even the most seasoned politician. For instance, he refused to take the typical MSNBC bait when Chris Hayes prodded him about the Richie Incognito-Jonathan Martin situation. Sherman said he did not have the facts and so was not in a position to comment on it–even though “Moose” Martin had been his teammate at Stanford. MSNBC was trying to make him go MSNBC, but Sherman refused.
Sherman’s smart–and a quick study–and savvy on the field as well. The corner who relentlessly does his homework before games said his teammates in the secondary cracked Denver quarterback Peyton Manning’s hand-signals during the Super Bowl, proving he takes John Wooden’s adage that “failing to prepare is preparing to fail” to heart.
Though Sherman’s political allegiances are unknown, his comments about not wanting to go into politics should be enough to put to rest any thoughts of a Howard Dean-Richard Sherman “Scream Team” ticket anytime soon.
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