Richard Sherman tears his Achilles and will have season-ending surgery
The NFL has lost another superstar for the season.
On Thursday night, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman tore his Achilles tendon and the Seahawks are planning on him having season-ending surgery, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said in his postgame press conference. The Seahawks took on a few injuries in Thursday night’s win, but none bigger than Sherman, one of the NFL’s best defensive backs.
Sherman broke into tears as he finished his press conference after the game and said, “Just got to stay positive,” according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. There will be plenty of questions about Sherman’s future going forward. He’ll turn 30 next March and is coming off a serious injury for a cornerback.
Richard Sherman broke down at the end when talking about his ruptured Achilles and how he tried to stay strong for his teammates pic.twitter.com/Ku9cA8VAvS
— Stefanie Loh (@StefanieLoh) November 10, 2017
Maybe having only three days of rest between games had nothing to do with the injury, and Sherman would have suffered the same injury in a Sunday game. But Sherman has been critical of “Thursday Night Football” before, because it gives players little chance to recover from the previous game. Sherman was on the injury report all week with an Achilles injury, then tore it Thursday. It’s hard to not make a connection between the short rest and the injury.
The Seahawks took on a few injuries on Thursday night, and receiver Doug Baldwin was critical of the Thursday games. He said Thursday night games “should be illegal” and Thursday’s game was “exhibits A through Z” why it should be abolished.
“I hope you guys recognize how challenging this is for the NFL players,” Carroll said, according to Curtis Crabtree of KJR Radio in Seattle.
NBC cameras showed Sherman telling teammates on the sideline his Achilles was torn and his season was over. Quarterback Russell Wilson gave him a hug when Sherman told him the news. After the game a few Arizona Cardinals players gave Sherman words of encouragement, including a long embrace with cornerback Patrick Peterson.
“It’s unfortunate with him because he’s as good as it gets. He’s a Hall of Fame corner,” Wilson told NBC after the game. “Guys will have to step up. You can’t replace Richard Sherman, you just can’t do it, but guys can step up and play great roles.”
Seattle will have a tough time moving forward without Sherman. The Seahawks didn’t have a ton of cornerback depth with Sherman, and now they’re without a three-time All-Pro at the position.
A big story this season has been major injuries. Stars like Odell Beckham, J.J. Watt, David Johnson, Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson have gone down with major injuries. Add Sherman to the list, and it’s a devastating loss for Seattle.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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