The San Francisco 49ers brought in Richard Sherman in part for his upside as he returns from a torn Achilles, and in part because of the leadership he can provide for a young defense.
Since arriving, Sherman has been seen with young players on a couple occasions. He took the entire secondary out for dinner in late April. Prior to that, he attended Reuben Foster’s first court date when charges were initially spelled out.
Sherman has been quiet about Foster’s situation, but over the weekend he offered some comments on the 49ers second-year linebacker. NFL Network analyst Michael Robinson had a youth football camp this past weekend, and Sherman was in attendance. While there, he spoke with Robinson on a few topics, including Foster.
“You know, I’ve had conversations with him. Obviously he knows mistakes have happened in the past and he’s trying to move past it. He’s doing his best to deal with the situation the best he can. Basically, he’s an incredible young man. We’re all human beings and I think that’s what society forgets -- that we all make mistakes. These young men are under a microscope that most people don’t have to deal with. And, obviously, he’s handling it the best he can, but I’m trying to do my part to just be a good teammate and be there for him in any way I can. And I think he’s going to be fine.”
I never quite know what to do with these statements. He keeps things relatively vague, which is usually the case with this sort of thing. Given how the past couple weeks have gone in court for Foster, it’s a little easier to release a “he’s made mistakes, he’s handling it the best he can, he’s a good guy” type of statement. If court had revealed otherwise, maybe Sherman’s statement is a little different.
For all the guff Sherman has received throughout his career, it has been entirely because of on-field rivalries. He talks a lot of trash, but off the field, he’s one of the true good guys of the league. He does extensive charity work, and this offseason we’ve seen him quickly emerge as a leader of this 49ers team. Whether that’s enough to help take this defense to the next level remains to be seen, but the offseason is off to a good start for Sherman and the unit thus far.