Richard Sherman Still Resents Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson

Seattle Seahawks All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman has never hid the fact that he’s a player driven by passion and desire. It shows in his emotions.

Some people don’t like his antics at times but there is no doubt he feeds off them to become one of the best at his position in the NFL. That’s why it was confusing to many the team would be willing to trade him this past offseason. Even though he’s 29-years old there was no sign of his approaching a steep decline in 2016. It felt like there might be something else going on beneath the surface. As it turns out, something has been going on for years.

In a tremendous in-depth story by ESPN columnist Seth Wickersham, he discovered that the mercurial Sherman still harbors a serious grudge against two other members of the Seahawks franchise. Not because of any personal slight, but more what they did to him a few years back on a fateful February day in 2015.

"“According to interviews with numerous current and former Seahawks players, coaches and staffers, few have taken it harder than Richard Sherman. He has told teammates and friends that he believes the Seahawks should have won multiple Super Bowls by now. And with just one trophy and the window closing fast, he has placed responsibility for that failing on the two faces of the franchise: Wilson and Carroll. Sherman, who like Wilson declined comment for this story, thinks Carroll hasn’t held Wilson or many young Seahawks to the defense’s championship standard. He’s been disillusioned not only by that single play more than two years earlier but also by his coach’s and quarterback’s response to it.”"

A bitter man indeed

It remains one of the most scrutinized plays in NFL history. Carroll was heavily criticized after the game for his decision to throw the football in that situation rather than hand it to star running back Marshawn Lynch. No doubt Sherman was feeling the same way. His reaction to the interception as it happened was replayed almost as much as the play itself.

It’s fair to say Sherman might be letting this get to him a bit too much. He claims the offense isn’t being held to a high standard. Yet the fact is the team has spent 15 of its past 25 picks in the first three rounds of the draft on offensive players. Perhaps he means Carroll simply not demanding more of the offense in general? Even that is debatable. Seattle has ranked in the top 10 in points scored in four of the past five seasons.

So this feels more like a man who can’t let that singular play go. They were one yard away from another ring. Sherman clearly defines his own success through winning. What once looked like a dynasty is now fading quickly. This Seahawks team has lost some of its luster the past couple years. Sherman is a man who built his career on seizing opportunities. Seeing his team not try harder to do the same must be frustrating.

Whether he’ll ever get over it? Only time will tell.