Richard Sherman Describes Relationship with Russell Wilson as 'Professional'

Richard Sherman has no problem with Russell Wilson as a teammate, but the Seattle Seahawks stars apparently aren't too close off the field. 

"We're pros. We hang out from time to time. We get along. Everybody gets along," Sherman said on SportsCenter on Sunday, via Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com. "But is my relationship with Russell the same as it is with Doug [Baldwin]? Or the same as it is with Bobby [Wagner]? No. But is his relationship with me the same as it is with Noe [Tyler Lockett] or [Justin] Britt? It's just different dynamics. But as teammates, we're phenomenal."

He said he has a "professional" relationship with the quarterback.

Questions about the Seahawks' potential locker room drama have arose during the offseason, with the team's biggest names being front and center.

According to Seth Wickersham of ESPN the Magazine, Sherman reportedly yelled, "You f--king suck!" at Wilson after intercepting a ball in practice, leading to a fight between the defense and offense. There is also built-up resentment stemming from the team's Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots.

Sherman and defensive lineman Michael Bennett disputed the May report:

However, during the SportsCenter interview, Sherman confirmed he made those comments, per CBSSports.com's Will Brinson:

"That's 100 percent true. And I've said worse. I've said worse to Doug [Baldwin]. I've said worse to [Jermaine] Kearse. Because iron sharpens iron, as one man sharpens another," Sherman explained. "So snapshot: you come into practice on a team that's about to go to the Super Bowl, and you get a competitive moment and you try to write a story about it. I'm sorry that our competition and the way we sharpen our iron isn't pretty and cordial. I'm sure if you went to see bad teams, they get along great. Probably slapping high fives and doing great. But then you go 4-12. 

"Once again, the reason that article was such nonsense, because you try to create a rhetoric around something that was totally false. If you told me that moment derailed our story and went straight downhill from there, then I would say, wow, he's onto something. And that's incredible. What happened was we were a yard away from winning another Super Bowl."

Head coach Pete Carroll also denied any strife between players, saying in June, "The locker room is in great shape," per Steve Wyche of NFL.com.

However, a spotlight will be on the players heading into the 2017 season. After coming within a play of winning back-to-back championships, the Seahawks have gone only 20-11-1 over the past two years while failing to advance beyond the divisional round.

The defense ranked third in the NFL in points allowed last season, while the offense finished tied for 18th in points scored.

If losses pile up early in the year, there could be fireworks.