National Football League

Richard Sherman on tirade: 'I wasn't committing any crimes'

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:38 p.m. ET

Sid Saraf

Maybe a little perspective is in order.

Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman met with the media on Wednesday and opened up about his famous postgame rant to FOX reporter Erin Andrews after Sunday's NFC Championship Game win.

"I was on a football field showing passion," Sherman said while also acknowledging that his comments were misdirected or immature.

"This was on a football field. I wasn't committing any crimes, or doing anything illegal. I was showing passion after a football game."

Sherman also commented on people using the word "thug" to describe him during the public backlash against him over the past couple of days.

"It seems like it's the accepted way of calling someone the 'N' word nowadays," he said. "What's the definition of a thug, really?"

Sherman then referenced seeing highlights of the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames playing on Saturday when a fight broke out two seconds into the game.

''They didn't even play hockey. They just threw their sticks aside and started fighting,'' he said. ''I saw that and said, 'Oh, man, I'm the thug? What's going on here. Geez.' I'm really disappointed in being called a thug.''

While there's been criticism for his rant, he's also received support. Perhaps most surprising was a tweet from baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron. Not a huge user of social media -- Aaron had sent seven tweets before Tuesday -- his message to Sherman read, ''hang in there & keep playing as well as you did Sunday. Excellent job -- you have my support.''

Sherman was peppered with questions for more than 20 minutes Wednesday. Teammate Russell Wilson was also asked about the fallout. He said it hasn't been a distraction as the Seahawks begin preparing for Denver.

Sherman also didn't like hearing that some have labeled the team villainous.

''Anytime you label Russell Wilson a villain it has to be a joke,'' he said.

Sherman said he has not reached out to Crabtree. Sherman attempted to shake Crabtree's hand following the interception only to get shoved in the face. Even after his on-field interview, Sherman continued to deride Crabtree in his postgame media session, calling the receiver ''mediocre'' and later saying their problems dated to an incident during an offseason event in Arizona.

Sherman said he doesn't regret the choke sign he directed at San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, a gesture that drew a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

''No man, it's Reggie Miller,'' Sherman said. ''It's Reggie Miller. It's rivalries, right?''

The Associated Press contributed to this report.