Niners Nation
They always say the sequel is never as good as the original.
Take Richard Sherman and his current war of words with Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. A wide receiver vs a defensive back. It’s interesting, but nothing like Sherman’s feud with 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree, which the Pickens spat feels like a sequel to, except this sequel finally gives us some backstory on what led to that fateful moment following the 2013 NFC Championship Game.
Everyone remembers Richard Sherman amped up after the Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers in that game. There was the tipped pass, the interception, and the Seahawks officially punching their ticket to the Super Bowl.
And then there was a quote by Sherman saying not to talk about him.
Followed by fans collectively saying: “wut?”
Through the years, bits and pieces of what exactly prompted Sherman to go off as he did surfaced. Shortly after the game, Sherman said it was something in Arizona during the 2014 offseason and to “ask him [Crabtree]” about it.
As time went on, we learned it had something to do with then-Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald’s charity event. We knew there was some trash talk, but the details weren’t made. It was also a bit ambiguous, considering Crabtree was recovering from a foot injury and would be in a walking boot at the time.
Now, we have context. Now, we have answers to just what was said.
Sherman discussed the outburst and just what Crabtree did to set him off. He was a guest on the Closed on Sunday’s Podcast hosted by Patrick Surtain and Terrion Arnold. I was initially going to paraphrase, but since Sherman can explain some decade-old questions, I have transcribed his entire answer in full below:
“It’s a long story. In the offseason, and I don’t know what you all do because everyone is different. [former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver] Larry Fitzgerald used to have a softball game in Arizona where he’d invite a bunch of guys, a bunch of celebrities, a bunch of former players and artists; Snoop Dogg used to come, Ashanti, you know, NBA players, WNBA players, everything. And we’d play a little softball game for charity to raise money for his charity. Then he’d have a little after-event for all the sponsors. You’d shake hands, kiss babies, and then you’d go on about your day. You’d show up, and then you invite him to yours, your charity event. So everybody is showing each other love. You battle on the fields, it is what it is, but there’s a lot of respect.
“During these events, a lot of guys used to come out; guys you’d play against. Kyle Williams, who use to play on the Niners, I think Roddy [Former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White] used to come out, Julio [Former NFL wide receiver Julio Jones] came to maybe one, obviously Larry used to play. Just a bunch of guys that you’d run...
