Richard Sherman and Doug Baldwin Blast NFL Hypocrisy in Bizarre Press Conference

Richard Sherman and Doug Baldwin of the Seattle Seahawks put on a show for reporters Tuesday afternoon wherein the two men blasted the NFL for institutional hypocrisy and pumped up their sponsors.

The (Tacoma) News Tribune posted a video of the strange scene, which involved Sherman talking to a cardboard cutout of Baldwin as the wide receiver crouched behind it. From this setup they delivered a preplanned and deliberate excoriation of the NFL’s “hypocritical” policies, covering a range of topics.

The two began by touching on the recent fining of teammate Marshawn Lynch for failing to speak with the media, and the NFL’s penchant for putting its own sponsorship interests first.

“You know, the other day, the league fined Marshawn Lynch $100,000,” Sherman said. “$100,000. And it’s like, they wouldn’t have even paid him $100,000 if he had talked. ... Doug, do you think they would have paid him $100,000?”

“Nope, they sure wouldn’t have,” Baldwin said.

"But you know who does pay me a lot of money? Beats by Dre, the wonderful headphones I wear," Sherman said. "But the league doesn’t let me say anything about them. Doug, why is that?"

“I don’t know,” Baldwin said. “Sounds, uh, sounds kind of hypocritical to me.”

Sherman and Baldwin also pointed out the hypocrisy in the league’s player conduct statutes, which disallow athletes from endorsing alcohol while the NFL’s retains Anheuser-Busch as a major sponsor.

The two then gave full-blown product endorsements of their various sponsors.

“My girl was sick this week, she got to eat some Campbell’s soup,” Sherman said. “So kids, when you get sick, make sure you get your Campbell’s soup in you...very healthy, very good for you.”

“Speaking of health,” Baldwin interjected. “How do you feel about the NFL making you play two games in five days.”

“Oh my gosh, jeez,” Sherman said, alluding to Seattle's upcoming game against the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving. “I almost didn’t realize that because they’ve been talking about player safety so much and it’s like two games in five days doesn’t seem like you care about player safety.”

Sherman concluded things by saying that this is how the NFL wants players to conduct themselves in media situations.

“You know it’s fun to talk about things that you care about, right?” Sherman said. “Because then you don’t get fined $100,000, you don’t get fined at all for this. This is how they want us to talk, right?...They want us to advertise. Got to make some money.”

Sherman and Baldwin laughed and walked off the stage, and there is little doubt in my mind that this will not be the last we hear of their joint interview.

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

They took a band saw to the league’s central nervous system, which is to say, its business instincts. The only thing Sherman neglected in this takedown was signing off with "Alright, little voice in my stomach, we're out of here!"

In any case, it will be telling to see how the league handles this insubordination. No one talks about how the NFL sausage is made and escapes unscathed—even the guy on the Madden cover. Perhaps especially the guy on the Madden cover.

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