Ego. It can be a great thing. But can it get in the way sometimes? Do atheles sometimes take it too far?

This is a hot topic right now because after the Seahawks defeated the 49er’s in the NFC Championship game Erin Andrews from Fox interviewed Seahawks corner, Richard Sherman, who exploded.

At the end of the game San Francisco quarterback Collin Kaepernick threw the ball to wide receiver Michael Crabtree in the back of the endzone who was one on one with Richard Sherman. Sherman deflected the pass right into teammate Malcom Smith’s hands. It was a great play by the Seahawks corner who is only in his third season as an NFL player. He is without question one of the NFL’s best corners and he made it very clear that he believes he is THE best after the game.

So what did Sherman have to say after the game live on Fox?

“I’m the best corner in the game. When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that’s the result you’re gonna get. Don’t you ever talk about me.[…] Don’t you open your mouth about the best or I’m gonna shut it for you real quick. ”

This was just part of his post game rant. Some sources speculate that Fox actually cut off the interview in fear of it becoming too vulgar.

Many were offended by this and called Sherman a “thug” for acting this way. But being both a football player and a journalist, I strongly disagree. Football is the ultimate team sport and a game of emotion. In order to be a great player you must be passionate on the field. Sherman had just made arguably the biggest play of his career so obviously he is going to be fired up.

What many people did not know was that Crabtree (which is who Sherman’s rant was about) had instigated the incident. At a charity event earlier in the year had tried to fight Sherman. Crabtree had being trash talking Sherman throughout the year as well. So all of this made the play even sweeter for Sherman.

There were certainly mixed reactions to his message.

“I personally loved Sherman’s interview. If you make a play like that, you can say what you want,” said sophomore Mason Cooper.

But not everyone enjoyed Sherman’s interview.

“I think he is an example of everything that is wrong with professional athletes these days. Yes he made a great play, but he should of just let the play speak for itself rather than scream at Erin Andrews claiming he’s the best in the game” said junior Matt Jankowski.