TAMPA, Fla. — The All-Pro cornerback could’ve played prevent Wednesday, keeping all questions about his volatile offseason in front of him with a soft cushion of prearranged responses.
Instead, Richard Sherman faced his issues head-on, tackling each inquiry at length. At one juncture, his first conversation with Tampa Bay reporters seemed cathartic.
“There’s always a silver lining to everything,” Sherman told the group on an AdventHealth Training Center back patio, following his first practice as a Buccaneer.
“Obviously it was an unfortunate situation and regrettable, but it led to some really positive changes, some help, some therapy, some tools that I didn’t have before to address some things that you kind of let stack up in your mind.”
Sherman, who signed a modest one-year deal with the Bucs ($1 million base salary with another $350,000 available in per-game roster bonuses), didn’t arrive in town Tuesday night devoid of baggage.
He was arrested in July after trying to force his way into a family member’s home after crashing his SUV in a construction zone. He pleaded not guilty to five misdemeanor charges, including driving under the influence and second-degree criminal trespass.
But he said the incident forced him to “step back” and seek the type of counseling he previously had avoided, either for professional or even cultural reasons.
“And in that, it’s been remarkable how many other people have said they have the same issues, because you always feel like you’re alone,” he said.
“You always feel like, ‘Hey man, I’m the only one dealing with this,’ and ‘I don’t want to burden anybody else,’ or ‘I don’t want to make anybody else deal with my problems.’ At least in the Black community, it’s one of those things that you’re never taught to do — taught to seek counsel, to seek help.
“You always feel like, ‘Hey man, I’ll deal with it, tough it out.’ In football terms, ‘Let’s get to the next play, next play, next play.’ ... And the same kind of goes through in life.”
Since opening up about his counseling, Sherman, 33, said others have contacted him — usually via direct message on social media — thanking him for erasing some of the stigma often associated with mental health or even counseling. His family has been at the center of his support system, he added, and said the Bucs staff is “very aware and helpful.”
“It was unfortunate,” Sherman said. “I’m a human being, I’m not perfect. I go through ups and downs just like anybody else, and that was a moment. And I’m thankful that I’ve been able to get past it and become better for it.”
Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com . Follow @TBTimes_Bulls
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