A well fought playoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers was completely overshadowed by one player. After the game, sideline interviewer, Erin Andrews, tried to get a comment or two from Seahawks defensive back, Richard Sherman. What happened next was simply shocking.
Sherman went off on an adrenalin fuelled rant against 49er Michael Crabtree. Don't ask me to try and quote Sherman. His words burst out of his mouth like a machine gun firing at a target. Why in the midst of a great victory Sherman would level a personal attack on another player was unbelievable. After two questions, Andrews was done, probably told to take the microphone away from Sherman before he said something really inappropriate for the national television audience.
In the days following the game, there was a great hue and cry from lots of folks, football fans and otherwise. Some of the comments took on racial overtones. Sherman had defenders who appreciated his passion and who decried the description some had leveled against Sherman, that of being a "thug."
Here's my problem with Sherman - why take a personal disagreement and use the forum of a national television audience to castigate another person?
Sherman's defense is that last summer Crabtree was disrespectful of him. Sherman was hurt and angry by the treatment he said he received from Crabtree.
So why didn't Sherman confront Crabtree then? Why didn't he express his displeasure then? Why didn't he try and resolve a personal matter between the two of them?
I don't know if Sherman is a man of faith. But Jesus makes it clear that when two people are at odds with one another, there is a way of dealing with the situation. Matthew 18:15 - "If your brother sins against you, go and show him your fault, just between the two of you." Jesus' brother, James, wrote, "Brothers, do not slander one another."
Clearly, letting a personal matter fester for a number of months and then using a national television audience to berate another person is not the way that people go about resolving problems.
That's perplexing. And just plain wrong.
