A couple of days ago, I posted on my other website, PeaceBytes.org, my thoughts as I contrasted the over-the-top, now-famous rant of Richard Sherman. For those of you not involved in social media — or any other media for that matter — Mr. Sherman is the cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks.
Following the Seahawks win over the San Francisco Forty-Niners last Sunday night, Mr. Sherman made some less than graceful quotes considered by many to be worse than most of the other narcissistic statements made by many of our celebrities these days. In my post on PeaceBytes, I proposed that we compare and contrast his statement with one of many profound quotes from the late Martin Luther King, Jr.
I caught a little bit of the news last night. According to that national television network and, indeed, with supporting video footage, it appears that Mr. Sherman did apologize for his statement.
That’s enough for me . . . for now. We all make mistakes. The real measure of Mr. Sherman’s character is whether he uses this to change his future behavior. So, I’ll be watching. And since I don’t really follow professional football, or college or high school football, or even internationally, soccer, that will take some effort on my part.
The apology is a crucial moment of character. It can be a catapult for improvement or the first point of sliding in a downward spiral. The important thing for those of us who witness apologies is to accept them and to cheer the apologizer to the higher path.
So, Mr. Sherman. Thanks for the apology. I am truly hoping that this is a catapult and not a slide.
And for those of you who may have heard apologies from me, I’m praying that you are hoping the same for me.