Richard Sherman previously criticized ‘Thursday Night Football’ over safety concerns

Richard Sherman suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon injury during his Seattle Seahawks’ 22-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday, which will end his season.

Sherman said after the game that his tendon had been bothering him all season and it was just a matter of time before it went, so he wasn’t too surprised by the injury. Still, one can’t help but wonder whether the lack of appropriate healing time between games wasn’t a factor in the injury.

Both teams played on Sunday and only had three days off before being asked to suit up and play once again. The limited healing time is a subject Sherman tackled in an article he wrote on “The Players’ Tribune” last year.

Sherman’s article was titled, “Why I Hate Thursday Night Football.”

Here’s a sampling of what he wrote:

“You’re still sore from Sunday’s game. You’re going to go out there and compete and give everything you have, because that’s what you do. But your body just won’t have as much to give as it would have had on a full week’s rest.

“That’s why the quality of play has been so poor on Thursday nights this season. We’ve seen blowouts, sloppy play and games that have been almost unwatchable — and it’s not the players’ faults. Their bodies just aren’t ready to play.
[…]
Thursday Night Football is just another example of the NFL’s hypocrisy: The league will continue a practice that diminishes the on-field product and endangers its players, but as long as the dollars keep rolling in, it couldn’t care less.

The unfortunate irony of Sherman then suffering a season-ending injury a year later while playing on Thursday night is strong.

Sherman entered his press conference after Thursday’s game in a walking boot and on crutches. He did not seem angry; he just seemed disappointed.

Instead, it was teammate Doug Baldwin who was opinionated and said “Thursday Night Football” should be “illegal.”