Richard Sherman: "Players Have To Be Willing To Strike"

Because the ESPYs are the only source of sports information tonight, this Richard Sherman update comes straight from the red carpet. In an interview with Jalen Rose, Sherman gave his unsurprisingly unfiltered view on the NFLPA and their need for strength in labor negotiations.

“If we want to get anything done, players have to be willing to strike,” Sherman said. “That’s the thing that guys need to 100 percent realize. You’re going to have to miss games, you’re going to have to lose some money if you’re willing to make the point, because that’s how MLB and NBA got it done.”

Sherman also criticized players for taking huge “fake” contracts inflated with non-guaranteed money, noting that some guys get an ego boost from big numbers, but that those contracts can “pop like a balloon.”

“I think guys need to re-evaluate how they look at contracts,” he said.

The NFL’s last CBA was agreed upon following a lockout in 2011, and it won’t expire until 2020. The last round of labor negotiations resulted in changes that included reduced practices and the rookie salary scale. The NFL hasn’t had a strike, however, since 1987, in a season that infamously featured scab players in three consecutive weeks.

[ ESPN]