Richard Sherman

Richard Sherman criticizes NFL for 'legislating the emotion out of the game'

Published Nov. 15, 2016 1:49 p.m. ET

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Brett Smiley

The Players' Tribune published a column Thursday by Seattle Seahawks three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman in which the 28-year-old criticizes the NFL for a variety of its policies (namely, the personal conduct policy) and misjudgments.

Sherman regularly speaks his mind on controversial NFL issues and in this instance focuses on the spike in penalties and fines levied against players for celebrations. Sherman writes:

We play a game. Part of the joy of watching that game is seeing the emotion on display. Seeing the passion. If guys didn’t play with passion and just went out there and went through the motions, I think people would stop watching.

We’re already seeing a bit of that. TV ratings are down, and I think we can point to the NFL legislating the emotion out of the game as a contributing factor. The NFL is enforcing a policy against celebration. Against joy. Against fun. It’s something I know a lot of players are frustrated with, and it appears that fans may be as well.

Sherman also says that if the league had its way, all the players would be "robots," as illustrated by Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins.

The league has not changed its rules on celebrations or personal fouls this season but has said that it has made "excessive celebrations" a point of emphasis for officials, which has manifested on the field in more unsportsmanlike conduct fouls.

“Fouls go up initially, and then as the players start to regulate their behavior and they understand where the bar is, we start to see the foul numbers go down,” said Dean Blandino, the NFL's senior vice president of officiating.

And perhaps what follows will be a more "robotic," emotionless, and less appealing game.

But Sherman and other players can rest assured, per Blandino: “Hugs are always legal.”

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Richard Sherman

Seattle Seahawks

National Football League