Gee Scott: If I didn’t know Richard Sherman

A buddy asked me a question recently that made me stop and think for a minute. He said, “Gee, if you didn’t know Richard Sherman, do you think you’d like him?”

This took me back to 2011, Sherman’s rookie season with the Seahawks. One particular day, after I cleaned about five vehicles, I brought in the keys. There were a bunch of players in Mo Kelly’s office, a popular hangout spot at the team headquarters. It was during lunch, so this was a time that they could relax and talk about anything and everything. Usually, these conversations are dominated by the veterans, and rookies don’t talk that much.

But not this rookie. Sherm was doing all the talking. Now understand, he wasn’t even a starter yet. He’s talking about how much he loves football and how he plans to be one of the league leaders in interceptions one day, how the Seahawks as a team would be really good soon. Umm, wait, what? I mean, don’t you wanna become a starter first before you talk like this? Then he’s saying how he’s going to be one of the best corners in the game. Are you crazy? It was nuts. I had never heard a rookie speak this way – never. You know how when somebody is talking and you can feel the energy in the room? That’s how it was in this situation. It was pretty much like my favorite saying: “And these are magic beans.”

A few days later, I asked a few of the veterans about this Richard Sherman guy. They all said the same thing: “Yeah, dude has a lot to learn.”

Looking back, seems like we all had a lot to learn about him.

What have we learned?  He was named the Seahawks’ Man of the Year last season. He’s been an All-Pro, a Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion. He’s arguably the best corner in the game (I think he’s the best corner in the game; I don’t care what anybody thinks).

We’ve also learned that he’s very opinionated, never afraid to say how he really feels about a situation. The other day I told him, “Sherm, you’re like that one friend that will tell you how awful your outfit is. It’s not really what you want to hear, but sometimes the truth hurts.”

I have to be honest, with some of the things that have been going on with Sherm and the media, I personally wouldn’t have handled them the way he did. But just because I disagree with someone doesn’t mean that I think they’re less of a person. When I think about it, we might dislike Sherm’s ways, but those same ways are a part of the reason we’ve enjoyed the Seahawks so much during the Pete Carroll era. It’s leaders like Sherman that bought into Pete’s philosophy early on and helped spread it throughout the team.

Over the years I’ve learned other things about Sherm. I’ve learned how great of a father he is and how much respect he has for his mom and dad. He loves playing chess on his phone. He loves to wear slippers (I always give him a hard time about that). He loves the Lakers, win or lose. He hates to lose himself. I repeat: he hates to lose. I’ve never won an argument against him (but one day that will happen). He has a real soft spot for kids. He works his tail off, during the season and over the offseason – how many games has he missed? When I told him that I was getting into radio, he told me that he believed in me and to never doubt myself.

Most important, I’ve learned that he has never changed. He’s the exact same guy that I heard speaking in the office that day back in 2011. That’s probably my favorite thing about him. He’s never changed.

So, to answer my buddy’s question about whether or not I’d like Richard Sherman if I didn’t know him … nope. But I do know him, and I know that there’s a lot more to him than what most people see.

Appreciate you for reading. Love ya for that. Until next time.

– Gee Scott