When Richard Sherman opens his mouth, people listen. Now they'll be listening to the highest paid cornerback in football.
Sherman, the outspoken defensive star for the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, signed a contract extension on Wednesday that will pay him a whopping $57 million over the next four seasons. The former Stanford Cardinal was slated to make just $1.4 million this season before the restructuring.
Sherman has been a fan favorite in Seattle the past three seasons, but hasn't been as well received with other NFL fans. Sherman made national headlines in January when he berated San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree, a competitor he had just beaten, in a post-game interview with FOX's Erin Andrews. In the brief, 15-second interview, Sherman transformed himself into the most polarizing figure in sports.
He also set himself up financially, not necessary on the field, but off the field with endorsement deals. CNNMoney reported in January that the rant led to "millions" in endorsement offers. Since then, Sherman has appeared in a Beats By Dre commercial, signed with Campbell's Chunky Soup, and partnered with Nike.
His most recent deal: a partnership with Oberto pitching beef jerky with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.
Just 10 minutes before the Seahawks announced Sherman's new contract at a press event Wednesday morning, the 2013 All-Pro hopped on the phone with Mashable to talk endorsements, whether college players should be paid, and Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
What follows is a lightly edited transcript of our conversation.
Sherman celebrated at the Seahawks' Super Bowl parade in Seattle on Feb. 5.
Image: John Froschauer/Associated Press
Mashable: I just saw on Twitter about five minutes ago that it looks like you inked a four year extension with the Seahawks to become the highest paid cornerback in football so, congratulations. How does that feel?
Sherman: It feels pretty good. It's a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication, but it feels good. A long time coming.
Congrats on the Super Bowl victory as well. Has life changed for you guys much since beating the Denver Broncos? Or does that happen once football picks up again this fall?
It feels pretty much the same. Obviously a lot more commitments, a lot more appearances, a lot more people wanting your time so in that respect it's changed a little bit. But in terms of the workouts, and the football side of things, it's been exactly the same.
I read that a number of brands reached out to you with endorsement deals following your on-field interview with Erin Andrews after the NFC Championship Game â€" you really became a household name in about 10 seconds. What’s that been like for you to have these people reaching out and trying to get your time?
It's been a whirlwind, it's been a whirlwind. It's really been an incredible experience. It's kind of an unknown for me, it's a sphere I've never been in. I've been trying to juggle the time and everything that goes into it, but it's been a fun ride just learning about society and just how commercials work. I've had fun with it.
To many fans, the NFL is still a game, but you and your teammates know that, first and foremost, it’s a business. That mindset seems to have permeated throughout the college game, too. Do you believe college players need to be paid?
Yeah I do. If you're going to make millions or billions of dollars off these kids then you have to give them at least a cut of it, even if they're paid hourly wages or something for their time. That'd be a big upswing from what they're getting now.
I understand the argument that they're getting their education paid for, but there are people on academic scholarships who are getting their education paid for and they don't have any extra rigors or any extra time obligations. I think it's a bit unfair in that respect.
Ahead of the Super Bowl, you responded to critics who called you a thug, saying the term was an “accepted way of calling somebody the N-word.†Race has been a topic of conversation lately in the NBA now, too. What do you think of the way the NBA handled Donald Sterling? Would you be able to play for an owner like that?
I think they handled it appropriately. And no, I probably wouldn't play for an owner like that because that's part of the problem â€" if a guy's looking at his players and his team and the people that work for him in that way, there's no respect there for players. There's not a lot of respect and when there's no respect, it would be difficult for me to play for him.
Is this something you believe more people need to talk about â€" race issues in sports? Or are these isolated incidents that catch our attention simply because they are few and far between?
I think they're isolated incidents but I think racism is part of it still. Racism is still very prevalent in the world today and I think the more it's talked about and the more it's eradicated, the better the world will be.
You’re a Stanford grad, spent five years in Silicon Valley. Often times the careers of NFL players are up in the air, certainly not guaranteed. Do you ever see yourself working in tech after football? I saw your selfie with Condoleezza Rice â€" maybe a career in politics?
[Laughs] I've thought about it briefly, but I'm not sure. If any company I'd probably mess with Google a little bit â€" they're innovative. But I doubt it. I want to stay in the sports realm, whether it's just talking about sports, being a commentator or analyst. I want to stay in that sphere.
How much should NFL players be preparing for that life after football?
They need to prepare like it's coming and it's coming immediately. It's a big deal and I don't think a lot of players prepare as well as they should.
Is that something the NFL could do a better job of in terms of preparing young players in particular as they come into the league?
They do a great job, players just don't do it. They don't prepare well.
You’re an active social media user and you take some pretty aggressive insults from fans on Twitter. Do you ever think about deleting your account? What’s the appeal for you?
No I've never thought about deleting it. I don't worry about people's opinions.
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