Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman not misquoted on Adderall use in NFL
Apr 12, 2013, 6:36 AM | Updated: 12:22 pm
Outspoken Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman wasn’t misquoted about his statements on the banned drug Adderall in an interview with the Vancouver Sun, but the context might have gotten lost in the print.
Fortunately for Sherman, there’s video to clear it up.
We’re used to seeing and hearing Richard Sherman trash-talking and mixing it up on and off the field, like when a fight erupted between Sherman and Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams.
But there’s usually no debate about his point or his perspective or exactly where he’s coming from, like when Sherman told ESPN’s Skip Bayless, “I’m the top of my field. I’m all pro. I’m one of the best 22 players in the NFL. You’re going to brush it off. But I don’t think you’re the best 22 anything.”
So when the Vancouver Sun quoted the brash Seahawks starter as saying “half the NFL takes the banned substance Adderall,” which he was accused by the league of taking, it certainly turned some heads.
Sherman claims he was misquoted, but it turns out he was not.
Before Sherman’s alleged “misquote,” the reporter asked, “there must be players that have to take Adderall because people have ADD and ADHD?
And Sherman responded, “Yeah, there is about half the league that takes it. The league has to allow it.”
The reporter replied, “Yes, because that’s a prescription.”
What was lost in the quote but made clear in the entire video is that Sherman was talking about people who have a prescription for the drug. He was not talking about players taking it to get an advantage.
“Are you on any medication?” the reporter asked.
“I’m not,” relied Sherman. “But there are players who take it, and we all tested on the same day. So it was just kind of a mix-up.”
The NFL put out a statement this week saying Sherman’s comments are ill-informed, inaccurate and irresponsible.
We can’t wait to hear what Sherman has to say about that. Could it possibly be better than his snarky response to Bayless, when Sherman said, “In my 24 years of life, I’m better at life than you”?
Related:
Sherman throws the first pitch
