Richard Sherman is known for opining on various subjects when speaking with the media, and he did so on Wednesday. This week, he took his aim at the NFL’s mandatory injury reports.
The Seattle Seahawks CB has played in both of his team’s games this season despite being listed as questionable before each game. He also jokingly informed the media Wednesday about a toe injury so they would be up to speed about everything. Then he started firing away at the injury report, saying it was for the purpose of gambling.
Richard Sherman rips the NFL on injury reporting rules: "Our injury report is specifically to make sure the gamblers get their odds right." pic.twitter.com/bTDlS5ZdeP
— Seattle Times Sports (@SeaTimesSports) September 20, 2017
“From what I understand, the rule is for the gamblers, for Vegas, to make sure the odds are what they are supposed to be. Which is apparently what the league is concerned about when you talk about injuries or things like that, so maybe somebody should look into that because I thought we were not a gambling league,” Sherman said, trying to point out what he feels is an example of hypocrisy.
“Our injury report is specifically to make sure the gamblers get their odds right.”
The NFL responded to Sherman’s comments. They said the injury report is done to make information about players public in an effort to protect against corruption.
“The decades-old policy is in place to ensure that all clubs provide accurate and timely information to other clubs, the public, and media about every player’s availability. It is designed for competitive fairness purposes and curtails the potential for someone to attempt to gain and exploit inside information. Without such a policy, you could envision a potential scenario in which a teammate or team personnel could be approached by a third party to sell inside information about a player’s undisclosed injury that could sideline or inhibit his performance. The policy, which is closely monitored by the league, provides a transparent look at player availability,” the league said via The Seattle Times.
Sherman has been at the center of injury report matters in the past. The Seahawks were issued a warning from the league for not disclosing a knee injury Sherman played through last season.
