Richard Sherman silences contract critics on Twitter after All-Pro selection
Maybe it's because I'm a child of the '70s, a time when the two biggest sports stars were Muhammad Ali and Reggie Jackson, but I've always had a soft spot for guys who talk a big game and then back it up. I'm glad that Sherman bet on himself and won. It's also pretty incredible that he came back from an Achilles tear and regained elite CB1 status.
I must say, leaving aside the fact that it worked out for him, I don't really get the criticisms of him for negotiating his own contract. Even if he had left money on the table, why is that the only criterion that matters? If you spent all day preparing a gourmet dinner, would it make sense for someone to tell you that it would have tasted even better if a professional chef made it, as if the only value in a meal comes from flavor maximization? In Sherman's case, he seems to have been motivated by a desire to educate himself on contract negotiations, and also to take control of his own future. Even if this turns out to be his last NFL contract (and it probably won't be), he will have plenty of future negotiations after his career is over, and he may well benefit from the lessons he learned during this experience.
There's also the fact that Sherman had already gotten one big veteran contract, and seeing as how he doesn't seem the type to blow all his money on get-rich-quick schemes and child support, he is most likely set for life. Maybe he just wanted the satisfaction of doing this himself, even if it cost him some money at the margins.
Does this mean every player should follow his lead? Of course not, no more than every driver should try to repair their own car engine. But for some people, it might work.
Anyway, good for him!
Maybe it's because I'm a child of the '70s, a time when the two biggest sports stars were Muhammad Ali and Reggie Jackson, but I've always had a soft spot for guys who talk a big game and then back it up. I'm glad that Sherman bet on himself and won. It's also pretty incredible that he came back from an Achilles tear and regained elite CB1 status.
I must say, leaving aside the fact that it worked out for him, I don't really get the criticisms of him for negotiating his own contract. Even if he had left money on the table, why is that the only criterion that matters? If you spent all day preparing a gourmet dinner, would it make sense for someone to tell you that it would have tasted even better if a professional chef made it, as if the only value in a meal comes from flavor maximization? In Sherman's case, he seems to have been motivated by a desire to educate himself on contract negotiations, and also to take control of his own future. Even if this turns out to be his last NFL contract (and it probably won't be), he will have plenty of future negotiations after his career is over, and he may well benefit from the lessons he learned during this experience.
There's also the fact that Sherman had already gotten one big veteran contract, and seeing as how he doesn't seem the type to blow all his money on get-rich-quick schemes and child support, he is most likely set for life. Maybe he just wanted the satisfaction of doing this himself, even if it cost him some money at the margins.
Does this mean every player should follow his lead? Of course not, no more than every driver should try to repair their own car engine. But for some people, it might work.
Anyway, good for him!
