LeBron James Voices Support for Richard Sherman, Shreds Ridiculous 'Thug' Label

Richard Sherman sparked quite the media firestorm after his game-winning play for the Seattle Seahawks, one that allowed them to advance past the San Francisco 49ers and into the Super Bowl that will take place in Omaha New York. 

Even baseball legend Hank Aaron has weighed in on the controversial corner, breaking a span of Twitter silence that stretched out over six months:

Thanks to the video that you can see below, just about every sports fan in the world has voiced his or her opinion. 

Now that list of supporters includes Miami Heat superstar LeBron James. 

Thanks to his boisterous interview, brash attitude and unrelenting penchant for trash-talking, Sherman has been called quite a few derogatory words and phrases, all of which completely overlook a couple key facts. 

LeBron wasn't going to stand for that, so he took to Twitter to express his thoughts: 

Did King James stop there? 

Of course not, as he went on to show his support for Sherman in the upcoming game against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos: 

According to B/R's Ethan Skolnick, LeBron also respected Sherman's passion, even if he felt the NFL's self-proclaimed best cornerback came across in a fashion that didn't allow his message to be received with clarity: 

If you're willing to keep an open mind, it's tough to disagree with LeBron. 

I mean, I get that those who are rooting for the Broncos in the Super Bowl may not wish Sherman well when he travels to the Northeast two weekends from now. But as for the "thug" message, that's certainly a valid point by the NBA's reigning MVP. 

What exactly was so thuggish about what Sherman said? 

The claim that he was the best? The claim that Michael Crabtree was a "sorry receiver"? The loud voice and intent on looking right into the camera? The intentional ignoring of Erin Andrews' first question? 

Maybe he didn't handle the interview in the best way possible, coming across in far more arrogant fashion than he presumably intended, but his outburst was more the result of passion and victory than him being a "thug." 

Listen to LeBron, and try not to throw around labels in willy-nilly fashion. 

Perhaps Sherman will be just as thankful to you as he was to the world's best basketball player.