Sign of the times: Now on the same team, Niners' York, Sherman unblock each other on Twitter
As NFC West rivals, San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York and former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman didn’t want the other man to know what he was saying on social media.
Now that they’re on the same team?
“We had to unblock each other on Twitter,” York told reporters on Wednesday at the NFL spring meetings, via Matt Maiocco, 49ers reporter for NBCSports Bay Area.
York wouldn’t say what led to him blocking Sherman on Twitter and Sherman doing the same, though with Sherman a vociferous member of the Seahawks until just a few weeks ago and the Niners and Seahawks engaging in some fierce battles in recent seasons, it’s not hard to surmise why they might have done it.
It’s all water under the bridge now, with Sherman signing a three-year, $39 million contract to join San Francisco earlier this month.
“There’s just a level of competition and that competitive spirit,” York said. “I’m happy to be fighting alongside him. But there was definitely a rivalry.
“At the end of the day, football is a business, but you have to figure out can you work with people who have different perspectives and difference histories. And with Richard, he’s going to come in and be the consummate pro.”
York also said that when he met with then-Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan a little more than a year ago as Shanahan was interviewing to become San Francisco’s head coach, he knew within five minutes that he’d hire Shanahan after Shanahan gave a brutally honest assessment of the 49ers.
“It wasn’t very complimentary,” York said. “You can see how some people would take that the wrong way. For me, I just want direct feedback from the coach. You’re probably the most-important person in the organization. We have to be on the same page. I have to know exactly where you stand. I never doubt where Kyle stands.”
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