Skip Bayless explains why the Seahawks are on the verge of implosion
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has been mentioned in trade rumors all offseason, and a behind-the-scenes story from ESPN this week attempted to explain the rift between the four-time Pro Bowl selection and the team. The story asserted that Sherman and the Seattle defense blames coach Pete Carroll, his staff and star quarterback Russell Wilson for the ill-advised goal-line play call that led to an interception and cost the Seahawks Super Bowl 49. And that, two years later, Sherman’s inability to let it go has led to continuing issues in the locker room. During Friday’s “Undisputed,” Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe examined whether the Seahawks will be able to move on.
“Richard Sherman has always been a guy that has been outspoken, and listening to him talk he’s thoughtful, he’s concise. He wanted to make sure he had a strong point of view, but he was respectful and understanding, and then over the last couple years he’s not only become disrespectful, he’s become blatantly and openly disrespectful to a superior. He told Pete Carroll, — unprompted, Skip … he said, ‘I told Pete you will not call that play again. You will not sacrifice the defense’s hard work.’ He also threatened a reporter to have his credentials pulled. So now he’s getting blatantly and openly disrespectful because Pete gives these guys a lot of latitude, he lets them be themselves.”
The Seahawks will never get over that play
“(Pete says), ‘I don’t have a problem with guys speaking their minds. ‘They just go out there and play, I want my guys to be individuals.’ But this explains it, Skip, and I said it at the time: They are never getting over this. You can win two Super Bowls, three Super Bowls, but you are not getting over this one. Richard Sherman knows … that call robbed them of their rightful place in history. There have been a lot of Super Bowl teams that have won one in a row. You start to get to legendary status, you start to get thought of as one of the all-time greats when you back it up. Because so few teams have been able to back it up. And Richard understands that. With that being said, he’s looking at Pete like – and Pete says, ‘We had the right call, we had this’ – but Sherman is like, ‘I don’t want to hear that.’ He’s like, ‘Russell, if they call a play and it’s not the defense you like, you will audible out of it. Why didn’t you audible out of that play?’ He holds him accountable for throwing the ball on a play that Pete Carroll and Darrell Bevell called. So, Richard is like, ‘Uh-uh, I’m not letting anybody off the hook. Pete…