Richard Sherman first defensive player to win Good Guy award

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman was presented with the PFWA Good Guy award on Wednesday. He was the first defensive player to ever receive the award.

ESPN’s John Clayton was at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center during the team’s Wednesday press conference to present the award. It is given in recognition of a player who deals with the media with professionalism and insight.

The award has been given 11 times over the last 10 years, always to offensive players. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was a recipient last season. Clayton called Sherman a trendsetter.

Clayton said of Sherman “He studies every aspect of the game, he’s perhaps the best resource for knowledge of the current game I’ve ever run across.”

August 14, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) watches game action against the Denver Broncos during the second half in a preseason NFL football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The PFWA announced last June that Sherman would receive the award, but was excited to get the trophy.

“You don’t get trophy’s anymore for anything. There’s one trophy you go for every year now” Sherman said, “in Pop Warner there used to be so many.”

Sherman hasn’t always been the media darling he’s now become. Known for never holding back, Sherman’s now famous meltdown in an on air interview with correspondent Erin Andrews after the NFC Championship game in 2014 was how most people knew and saw him. Now Sherman is a sought after interview and is highly regarded by most of the media.

This isn’t to say Sherman sugar coats anything. He is honest, brutally at times, but shows a maturity that has come with years of dealing with reporters and fans.

Previous winners of the Good Guy award include Jerome Bettis, Tony Gonazles, Kurt Warner and LaDainian Tomlinson. One of the things these men have in common is they all are now part of the media themselves. I don’t think it would surprise anyone to see Sherman behind an analyst desk in the future.

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