Richard Sherman (American football)

Richard Sherman (born March 30, 1988), nicknamed Optimus Prime, is an American football cornerback with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was selected by the Seahawks in the fifth round (154th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft. Sherman played college football at Stanford, playing both wide receiver and cornerback for the Cardinal.

High school career
He attended Dominguez High School in Compton, California, where he starred in football and track and field. In 2006 he led his team to a Championship win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 41-14. In his senior season he had an average of 30 yards per catch on 28 catches with 14 touchdowns. He was also named a USA Today All-American in track and field after winning the California state title in the triple jump with a mark of 50 feet, 8 inches. He also had personal bests of 13.99 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles, 10.77 in the 100 meter sprint, and 23 feet, 8 inches in the long jump.

College career
Sherman began his career at Stanford as a wide receiver and led the Cardinal in receiving as a freshman in 2006 while being named a Freshmen All-American. He caught 47 passes over the next two years before suffering a season-ending knee injury after playing in the first four games in 2008. He switched to cornerback after his injury due to team need and made 112 tackles over his final two years, which also included 6 interceptions. He was part of the 2010 Stanford Cardinal football team which finished 12-1, a school record. Sherman is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity.

Sherman graduated in 2010 from Stanford with a degree in Communications and returned for his final year of eligibility in order to begin a Masters degree.

2011
Sherman was selected in the 5th round, 154 overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2011 NFL Draft. Sherman remembers watching the Draft with his family at home and how many cornerbacks were drafted before him. To this very day, Sherman remembers being "livid" about players who he perceived as inferior getting drafted before him.

Despite starting only 10 games in his rookie season, Sherman was selected to the 2011 PFW All-Rookie Team, shattering all expectations heading into the season. He also led all rookies with 21 passes defended and 4 interceptions in addition to 55 tackles.

2012
On October 14, 2012, following a victory over the New England Patriots, Sherman taunted the Patriots' quarterback, Tom Brady.

Prior to week 8 vs Detroit, Sherman nicknamed himself Optimus Prime, an action intended to send out the message that he would shut down Detroit's wide receiver, Calvin Johnson, known by his nickname Megatron. (Optimus Prime and Megatron are opposing characters in the Transformers franchise.) Johnson was held to 3 catches for 46 yards against Sherman and the Seahawks, both season lows.

Heading into Week 17 of the 2012 season, Sherman posted 61 tackles, seven interceptions and three forced fumbles. Due to his play and the fact that he was not selected to the 2013 Pro Bowl, Sherman was considered of one of the biggest 2013 Pro Bowl snubs. Sherman told Associated Press that "It don't mean nothing," prior to the announcement of the Pro Bowl rosters. He was subsequently named Associated Press NFL All-Pro First Team.

In December 2012, Sherman won his appeal of a four-game suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. It was likely that Sherman would sue the NFL if he was suspended. Prior to the wildcard matchup between the Seahawks and the Redskins, Kedric Golston, a Redskins linebacker called out Sherman by saying "He's a cheater," referring to Sherman's successful suspension appeal.

Controversies
Sherman has been involved in several controversies during his NFL career. One of these controversies is his Optimus Prime nickname, referring to Calvin Johnson, who is nicknamed Megatron. Sherman has also been involved in a controversy where he asked Tom Brady, "U mad, bro?". Sherman also stirred controversy with his response to not being selected to the 2013 Pro Bowl. In March 2013, Sherman went on to ESPN First Take, where he argued with Skip Bayless. Sherman told Bayless "I'm intelligent enough and capable enough to understand that you are ignorant, pompous, egotistical, and cretin. I am going to crush you on here because I am tired of hearing about it." He also claimed that he was "better at life" than the First Take analyst, which sparked a response from fellow ESPN analyst Bill Simmons that blasted the First Take program. Sherman was also involved in a Twitter feud with fellow NFL cornerback, Darelle Revis., to the point that Joe Haden also involved in the conversation that he is the no.2 cornerback in the league between Revis and Sherman. Sherman has also been involved in controversies with Trent Williams and Roddy White.

Stats
The following stats were retrieved from NFL.com.