Richard Sherman doesn’t expect players’ passions to wane over racial equality once the NFL season starts, or once he and his 49ers teammates report for training came in late July.
What he wants to happen on an NFL level, however, will have to wait until next offseason, and the one after that and beyond.
“Having some people of color represented in the general manager space, the front office space, obviously head coaches, that would go a long way,” Sherman said on a video call with media Wednesday. “They’ve tried their best tor throw money behind it for a long time. It takes more than that.
“It takes you literally calling out bigotry and being motivated. It’s not just pleading. It’s being consistent year in and year out that your combating this issue and this is a problem that needs to change, not just this year, not just 2016 or 2017. Black lives matter. They have to matter forever. They have to matter every year.”
MIAMI GARDENS, FL – FEBRUARY 2: San Francisco 49ers’ Richard Sherman (25) looks up at the scoreboard during the final two minutes of the fourth quarter of LIV at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.,, on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Sherman, a vice president on the NFL Players Association’s executive committee, is encourage by how strong and widespread protests have been across the country this month. It’s a much different look than the NFL-driven protests Colin Kaepernick began in 2016.
“In 2016 and ’17, when those guys were talking about police brutality and inequities, they (opponents) found a way to dull down that message and divert it something else to avoid the conversation,” Sherman added. “This time it’s too full-fledged and everybody is getting the message first hand. Nobody can turn their eyes away from what they’re seeeing. Any human with empathy would feel that strong.”
Sherman expects players to use their platforms on social media and at press conferences to “fight the good fight” in this “time for change.” His platform Wednesday featured him driving his kids while answering reporters’ questions for some 30 minutes. Other topics covered:
On Colin Kaepernick: As for whether that could trigger Kaepernick’s NFL return from a three-season absence, Sherman aptly noted that while he believes the outcast quarterback is good enough to return, it ultimately is up to team owners to employ Kaepernick.
When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell did not mention Kaepernick by name in a video last week acknowledging racial inequities and the league’s poor handling of protests in the past, Sherman was not surprised. “That’s the thing, the NFL is a PR machine and knows how to construe the messaging to get their point across, to appease and pacify the public without overstepping what they consider their moral high ground. That’s unfortunate.,” Sherman added.
On advising white friends: Sherman said he hasn’t been besieged by white friends seeking advice on changing race relations. “A lot of times those people aren’t the problem but they have friends and family who speak a certain way, are bigoted and feel some are inferior because of the color of their skin,” Sherman said.
“A lot of times, preconceived judgment is a detriment to all. I talk to them about having that growth and difficult conversations. That helps more than anything. This has been going on for 400 years and we’re probably the only country that has such an awful, dark stain that they don’t want to talk about it.
“I don’t think I’d be able to explain the depth and pain and inequity in a few hours, so I keep it as simple as I can.”
On COVID-19 concerns: Players have not asked questions about the health protocol so much as a timeline for their possible return. The 49ers haven’t been together since after their Super Bowl loss in February, and July 28 is the expected start date of NFL training camps. No matter how much the NFL puts safeguards in place to minimize risk, Sherman noted: “At the end of the day, football is footbll. No matter how much you keep 90 guys away from each other, they’ll run into each other and it will be what it will be.”
On sideline protests: Will NFL sidelines see a split of players kneel and stand during the national anthem? Sherman understands if that history repeats. “To each their own. You try to do things unified as a team, it’s the ultimate team sport. But your love and appreciation for teammates and fellow man, that everyone has their own way of doing things, coping and I guess living. I can’t tell anybody to talk like I walk, protest like me, maneuver like me, protest or feel the way I feel about something.”
On the Super Bowl loss: Sherman was asked about not just getting beat in the Super Bowl but giving up a key reception to Sammy Watkins amid the Kansas City Chiefs’ comeback. “It’s football. Nobody’s played a perfect game yet,” Sherman said. “Honestly that didn’t bother me, period. The guy made a good play. I’m not going to sit and beat myself up over it. You win some you lose some and fight another day.”
On less exhibitions: In light of a NFL Network report stating teams may play just two exhibitions instead of four, Sherman called that a “mixed bag,” noting that first-year players gain valuable reps in such games. “There will be a ramp-up period. We’re still in discussions about that,” Sherman said. “I have no problem with us having limited preseason games. I don’t play a ton of them as it is. But there are some of us who need to go out there and get some reps before real things happen.”
