However, Sherman does not want the public to label him as a thug because of his postgame tirade.
“It was loud, it was in the moment, and it was just a small part of the person I am,” Sherman said on MMQB. “I don’t want to be a villain, because I’m not a villainous person. When I say I’m the best cornerback in football, it’s with a caveat: There isn’t a great defensive backfield in the NFL that doesn’t have a great front seven. Everything begins with pressure up front, and that’s what we get from our pass rushers every Sunday. To those who would call me a thug or worse because I show passion on a football field—don’t judge a person’s character by what they do between the lines. Judge a man by what he does off the field, what he does for his community, what he does for his family.”
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is judging.
Sherman and Brady exchanged words during a game in 2012. After Seattle won, Sherman tweeted a picture of himself shouting at Brady with the caption “U MAD BRO?” Brady talked about Sherman on Monday.
“I don’t know him at all,” Brady said on WEEI’s “Dennis & Callahan” radio show according to NESN.com. “I’ve watched him play. He’s that kind of guy. So, you know. I approach the game — and I have respect for my opponents. That’s the way our team always plays. We win with graciousness, and when we lose, we could do better. Some teams don’t always do that, or that’s not their program.
“The only way to counter that is to beat them. When you don’t win, it’s hard not to say — you just gotta shut your mouth and listen to it. Maybe when you get an opportunity down the road, maybe that’s a source of motivation. But they got a good team, they played well all year. They played well at home. And that’s why they advanced, too.”