How exactly was he classless? After THE biggest play of the season, a play in which he did his designated job better than the other guy, he went up to Crabtree afterwards, extended his hand and said "Hell of a game, hell of a game." He was trying to be classy towards a guy who, from all reports, he clearly doesn't get along with. Now in regards to what he said in his interview with Erin Andrews afterwards; the guy just came off of probably the biggest game he's ever been in and made essentially the game winning play against his biggest rival. So yeah, he was a little hyped up and talked a little trash, but what exactly did he say that was classless? Did he call him anything derogatory? Did he say anything about him personally that related to anything other than his on field play? Look, I'm not a Seattle fan, but all these people jumping all over Sherman for a 25 second interview immediately following a win in the NFC championship really need to focus their ire elsewhere.
I was completely willing to dismiss this until his Beats by Dre commercial came out at exactly the same time. He and his people planned this, and the reaction he kicked up was exactly what they wanted. It's basically the same thing as Peyton Manning's "Aw shucks" routine, but they know that you get a lot more attention by being dislikable than by being likable. He's looking at filling the sort of endorsement niche that rappers and pro wrestlers have. The most interesting part is how he's doing while still being relatively tame to avoid raising the leagues ire.
If you believe that, then you believe that he made the play, tried to be classy to Crabtree, then immediately shifted gears to shit talking mode and starting making the choke sign to Kaepernick and went and ranted with Erin Andrews. Personally, the fact that he chased down Tom Brady earlier in the season and talked shit, made the choke/slashed throat gesture at Kaepernick right after the game, and gave that classless interview all lead me to believe that he probably wasn't only trying to shake Crabtree's hand. He was probably talking shit then too. I guess he could have tried to shake Crabtree's hand, Crabtree said something and Sherman got pissed then started up. But the fact that he did it at least once before (Brady) leads me to think it wasn't just some heat of the moment thing.
He was mic'd up for the game for the NFL Films crew. They then released the audio from that moment to corroborate exactly what he said to Crabtree, which was "Hell of a game, hell of a game" as he stuck out his hand. That's when Crabtree shoved him in the face. So, no, he wasn't talking shit then too. And as far as the Brady thing, again, try portraying the WHOLE story about what happened. Earlier in the game after he had intercepted a pass intended for Branch, Brady was the one who instigated things by telling Sherman to "see him after the game when they win." So, after the game when Seattle won, Sherman made it a point to find Brady and say something to him. Was he shit-talking? Definitely, but it was only in response to what Brady has already started earlier.
You have got to be kidding me if you don't think that is shit talking. You just ended a fierce rivals season and you run away from your celebrating teammates to smack the ass and "geniunely" congratulate a dude on a good season? Come on dude, that's like stealing a girl from a dude at the bar and smiling and saying "have a great night" as you leave. He was rubbing it in. Which is why he immediately made the choke sign at Kapernick after. He knows the last thing you want at that moment is a congrats. The only people who feel like he was being a good guy there are Sherman apologists and Seahawks fans. The more I watch, the more I realize how orchestrated it all was, and it makes me less "what a douche" and more "that's a clever asshole", but to say that isn't shit talking is laughable.
Take what Clutch, JDoogie and Gamecocks said and combine it with this. Aren't you guys fucking tired of these canned ass answers? "Yeah, it was a great game, just want to congratulate the team and we're just taking it one day at a time. We're going to celebrate for one more day, then we're going to get to work on the Denver Broncos." Seriously? Aren't you fucking tired of that shit all these years? This fucking useless athlete speak that when you fucking hear it over and over. When you hear that is your response? "WOO! FUCK YEAH!" You watch that and think "Well that's a waste of time, why are athletes forced to interview when all of them have been trained methodically to give boring ass answers." Do you want every single athlete answering questions Bill Belichick style? FUCK NO YOU DON'T. When the Seattle fans saw that, they fucking loved it. The media and fans, all they talk about is finally having an athlete be real. Be honest. Jwags said he was a fake and fraud. That response and any response like it were more honest than any fucking response any athlete has given outside of Superbowl Media Day, since Allen Iversons "Playoffs." You got to be kidding me. The whole "We're going to take it one day at a time..." sports cliche bullshit is a fraud. You think they talk like that in the locker room? Please. Sports is entertainment. And... By the way, jersey sales are skyrocketing, 300,000 new followers on Twitter, Good Morning America appearance...I think he might be smarter than most of us, Stanford education aside. Not getting into the fact that the game was against his college coach who didn't draft him and had a bad experience with, he was taken in the 5th round, and basically guaranteed the fact he'd be getting paid. Yep, I'm be turnt up to.
Contributed nothing except holding his covered receivers to only two targets and one catch all game? Awesome response, though.
The Bronco's had to basically sacrifice their second WR to Richard Sherman's side just so they could use their other weapons. You must be kidding me. By the time Richard hurt his ankle he the game was over. I love idiots though.
P.S. the other reason I love Sherman's reply is because of the outcry about what a "thug" he was or the other various names he was called after the conference championship. That's such a thoughtfully funny response, certainly not the reaction of an emotionally-uncontrolled thug.