Richard Sherman Outburst - Smart Man Or Bully?

This Richard Sherman outburst just won’t go away. Following his WWE outburst while being interviewed by FOX Sports’ Erin Andrews only seconds after making the game-winning play in the NFC Championship game, Sherman’s comments have been judged, re-judged and replayed ad nauseum.

I’m sure you’ve seen it. I’m sure you’ve heard the “he’s a thug” or “bully” side of the argument as well as the “adrenaline fueled smart man” side of the argument. Who’s right? Let’s break it down Stanford-style with a salient attribute scoreboard:

Bully

This is a role model for our children? 1 pt.
Your team just won a trip to the Superbowl. Where’s the joy? 1 pt.
You’re freaking out Erin Andrews. Never a positive. 1pt.
Major big game distraction in the 2 weeks of hype leading to the NFL Championship. 1 pt.
Me, me, me instead of team, team, team. 1 pt.
Nice sportsmanship. 1 pt.

Smart man

He did just win the game 30 seconds ago and he’s still jacked…1 pt.
The NFL is there for our entertainment and this certainly qualifies. 1pt.
If the goal was to market himself, well done smart man. 1pt.
Tom Brady could yell like that and get away with it, why not me? 1 pt.
Straight A student in HS. Chose Stanford for academic prowess. Graduated. Runs successful charity at https://www.facebook.com/ShermanBlanketCoverage. 10 seconds of craziness on national TV doesn’t tell the story. 1pt.
Seattle has been a city long criticized for being a bunch of soft, polite, techy, no-please-after-you wussies. RS25 changed that image nationally with about 50 words on a post-game interview. 1 pt.

He’s a bully (6). He’s a smart man who was fired up (6). Tied? Let’s go to OT:

Crabtree started it per Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times:

Sherman has been upset with Crabtree since last summer. Both attended Arizona star receiver Larry Fitzgerald’s charity event. While there, Sherman went to shake Crabtree’s hand, and Crabtree tried to start a fight, according to Sherman’s older brother, Branton.