Richard Sherman says he got work ethic from parents

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman started off his collegiate career at Stanford as a wide receiver, but he eventually made the transition to defensive back and his hard work and dedication to his craft has allowed him to develop into one of the best in the National Football League.

In a recent interview, Sherman spoke with Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times and discussed his parents who he credits for his work ethic.

“I think it was incredibly significant,” Sherman said. “It forced my brother and me to understand priorities and family. You’ve got to do everything in your power to make sure your family is taken care of.”

Sherman’s father drives a trash truck and his mother works with disabled children. Both of Sherman’s parents have stuck with their jobs despite their son’s NFL job and his father will be flying home the day after Super Bowl XLVIII in order to get back to his usual trash route.

“People say, ‘Let your son take care of you,’” Kevin Sherman said. “Yeah, but I’ve got a few years left until I retire. Why would I mess up my own retirement? Why should my son have to foot everything? I have a medical plan that will cover me. Why should my son have to pay my medical bills? It doesn’t make sense to me.”

As we get closer to the Super Bowl, we learn more about who Sherman is as a person, and it is clear that he is a great guy who we could all learn from and he can offer a lot more than interesting post-game tirades.