Richard Sherman: Seahawks Cornerback Calls NFL’s Roger Goodell ‘A Suit’
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman is pretty vocal on and off the field. However, this time, Sherman is calling out NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Sherman had harsh words for the commissioner over new policy proposal on ejecting players after getting two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
At an NFL owners meeting this week, the leagues competition committee will present 19 rule change proposals. This includes the rule that any player who get’s two personal foul penalties in a single game, will be ejected. A move that Goodell has been lobbying for.
This new rule doesn’t sit well with Richard Sherman. In an interview on ESPN’s Sportscenter, Sherman was very vocal about Goodell.
“I think it’s foolish, but it sounds like something somebody who’s never played the game would say, something they would suggest, because he doesn’t understand, he’s just a face, he’s just a suit. He’s never set foot on the field and understood how you can get a personal foul.”
The NFL has been trying to crack down on unsportsmanlike penalties, which have been plaguing the league for years. Under the said proposal, personal fouls which include punching, kicking, using foul language, threatening, and taunting would be included to this proposed rule. To which Sherman has been questioning.
This all came about after last season when New York Giants wideout Odell Beckham was suspended after drawing three personal fouls on Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman for provoking a fight each time.
When Richard Sherman was asked why the league is struggling to adopt this new rule, Sherman explained the following to SportsCenter.
“Because you’ve got a bunch of suits doing it, You’ve got a bunch of guys who never played… let Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin talk about it for about 20, 30 minutes, maybe Cris Carter, Randy Moss. Let those guys have a roundtable discussion about what a catch should be and come up with a rule. I guarantee you it would be more effective than the rule they have now.”
What Sherman probably doesn’t know is that Roger Goodell did play football while in high school. However, Goodell floated the idea during the NFL’s annual State of The League speech in February. In article posted on NFL.com, he said the following.
“I believe that the league should pursues a policy where if there are two personal fouls in a game, there’s an automatic ejection of the player. I believe that’s consistent with what we believe are the safety issues, but I also believe it’s consistent with what we believe are the standards of sportsmanship that we’ve emphasized.
“We should take that out of the hands of the officials when it gets to that point. They’ll obviously have to throw the flag, but when they do, we’ll look to see if we can reach an agreement on the conditions of which they’d be ejected.”
“The perception is the reality… It is what it is. Their resume speaks for itself. Their past is what their past is. Their present is what their present is. And will they be punished? Probably not… Not as long as (Patriots owner) Robert Kraft and Roger Goodell are still taking pictures at their respective houses.
Richard Sherman was recently elected to the NFLPA executive board. In recent years, Sherman served as a representative for the Seahawks organization.
[Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images]
