Richard Sherman is one of the NFL's best cornerbacks, but he's also one of the league's most thoughtful players -- even if the subject is a controversial one.
He has been outspoken on the racial divide in this country, and he has also blasted Roger Goodell and the NFL for everything from "foolish" rules proposals to sticking taxpayers with the bills for new stadiums.
And on Thursday, in a weekly feature for the Players' Tribune, the Seahawks cornerback spoke frankly about the NFL's inconsistency and hypocrisy.
Sherman begins by referencing Andrew Hawkins' touchdown robot celebration from earlier this season. The Browns wide receiver catches the pass, promptly places the ball on the turf, before mechanically walking to the bench. You can see it here.
I thought [the robot dance] was hilarious because, as the saying goes, In jest, there is truth.
This is what the NFL wants, right? It wants players who score a touchdown to hand the ball to the official and walk away. To act like they've been there before.
Which is really just another example of the inconsistency -- and to a degree, the hypocrisy -- of the NFL.
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.
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.
It's hard to dispute any of this, of course, which is why the NFL probably won't have anything to say on the matter.
Sherman continues: "All this is hardly surprising. The NFL is inconsistent in a lot of things it does. I mean, most people can't even tell you what a catch is in our league. The rule has gotten so convoluted and confusing that it barely makes sense anymore. Even the guys who get paid to make the calls have difficulty applying it."
Again, the man has a point.
"At the end of the day, fans don't want to watch robots," Sherman continued. "They want to watch players having fun and showing emotion. I'm with them. I think what they also want is for the league to be consistent in its discipline. To be transparent. To do what it says it's going to do and to use a little common sense."
This certainly seems reasonable.
