Richard Sherman wins PED suspension appeal, gives Seahawks major boost
The Seattle Seahawks received tremendous news on Thursday as cornerback Richard Sherman has reportedly won his appeal, meaning the four-game suspension he faced for failing a performance-enhancing drug test last month has been lifted.
Sherman announced the news himself on Twitter, and NFL.com’s Abert Breer later confirmed that the defense Sherman’s attorneys used in his appeal case actually worked. He won because of a major problem with the collection procedure.
Thank you @nfl for upholding the truth! To the 12s Thank you your faith is rewarded! Thank you lord
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) December 27, 2012
Some people will undoubtedly remain skeptical, thinking that Sherman won on a technicality like the one Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun benefitted from rather than believing he is actually clean and innocent. The Seahawks and their fans likely couldn’t care less. All that matters now is they will have their best cornerback when the playoffs begin.
In his second NFL season, Sherman has established himself as arguably the league’s best corner. Seattle’s defense has allowed only 15.5 points per game this season — the best in the NFL — and Sherman is a major reason why they have been so successful. Brandon Browner, the Seahawks’ other starting cornerback who also tested positive last month, decided to serve his suspension starting in Week 14. He is scheduled to return on Sunday against the St. Louis Rams.
Now that the Seahawks will have both Sherman and Browner when the playoffs begin, opposing offenses have to be dreading the challenge Seattle could pose. I’m sure no team is itching to play the Seahawks at any point during the postseason.
