I am what some would call a "prude." I'm pretty conservative in my beliefs, values, and traditions. I think that's why my response to the Richard Sherman interview (by Erin Andrews) has taken even me by surprise.
In case you haven't heard, the Seahawks won a place in Super Bowl XLVIII. Immediately after the game, Ms. Andrews came up to Mr. Sherman to interview him about what happened in one of the final plays of the game. (If you haven't seen it, click here to watch it.) He showed incredibly poor sportsmanship. One of the things we try to teach our kids is how to be gracious winners. This was definitely not an example of gracious winning. Ideally, he would have said it was a nice effort by Crabtree and just left it alone. If he was unable to do that, then he should have followed the advice of mothers everywhere and not said anything at all.
Alas, he did not.
In response, a number of people are calling for an apology by him to Ms. Andrews (who doesn't seem to mind the attention this interview has gotten) and even more are "disgusted" by the behavior. While I don't think his attitude and comments are what I would like for my children to emulate, I see it a little differently. He didn't react with a profanity-laced tirade (caution: needs bleeped) unfit to be aired without bleeps. He didn't flip anyone off. He probably won't even land on a list of the 10 most unsportsmanlike moments in sports.
I'm ashamed to admit that instead of a gracious response, he responded not unlike what I probably would have in his shoes. You see, I am competitive. I like to win, although I'm not really big on trash-talking. I have been known to do my fair share, though, in response to someone else doing it. I get defensive and feel like I need to get back at them for "running their mouths". If I wait 15 minutes, I wouldn't say anything ~ it's not really who I am, and in the heat of moment, my humanness might take over for a minute. My heart would hurt later over anything I would say in those moments. I look at what happened mere moments before that interview and think, I can only imagine what would have come out of my mouth. (Please note, I don't cuss, but I have been known to use "idiot", "stupid", and more critical terms liberally when annoyed.)
It is in that vein that I find myself standing by Sherman, thinking that he showed more restraint than most in similar situations, but less grace than many. Last year, I worked on extending grace, and perhaps this is an extension of that. I probably wouldn't have been as forgiving (or grace-giving) a little over a year ago. Now, though, I am trying to be more open in recognizing my own flaws and failures, and this is one that really cuts close. I am trying to learn to use my words "for good." I don't want to be the one remembered for a few poorly chosen words, but rather for what I said to uplift and encourage the downtrodden and for what I said to defend those who couldn't defend themselves.
This isn't intended to defend Sherman. It's my own defense ~ my own response ~ a recognition on my part of my own failings and how hard it is to see someone else being hit so hard for something I've done. Ouch. I hope to do better in the future. In the meantime, I offer my own apology for any hurt I've caused out of my own competitive spirit.
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