National Football League

Shannon Sharpe: Richard Sherman has it all wrong about 'media privilege'

Published Dec. 29, 2016 1:35 p.m. ET

Nick Schwartz

A week after Richard Sherman threatened to "end" a radio host's career, he informed the media during a press conference Wednesday that they should be thankful they get to hear him speak at all. Sherman, who tweeted an apology following his incident with ESPN's Jim Moore, said it was a "privilege" for media members to have access to him.

"I'm just going to make sure people -- it's a privilege to have me up there. You're going to miss me when I'm gone."

“Doing something that 70 other guys do every week for 16 weeks and then the four weeks into the playoffs is not a privilege. Richard Sherman has it all wrong.

The privilege is his, because he gets an opportunity to play in the National Football League, he’s one of the guys that’s elected to speak to the media. That’s the privilege. If you really wanna know what a person is about, or who a person truly is, give them money, give them power. And they will reveal to you who they actually are.

This has always been Richard Sherman, but the fifth-round draft pick didn’t have this power, he didn’t have the money, he didn’t have the cachet to stand up and say the things that he’s saying now. Now he has money, now he has power. He feels emboldened.

Pete Carroll, this is what you started. You can’t get mad at him because you’ve allowed them to be this outspoken.”