Photo: Andy Lyons
Newly signed Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Richard Sherman has apparently put an infamous past incident with his new quarterback Tom Brady behind him.
Sherman -- then a member of the Seattle Seahawks -- approached Brady -- then with the Patriots -- after a victory in 2012 and shouted in the multi-time Super Bowl champion's face, later posting a "U Mad Bro?" meme onTwitter.
Reporters asked the five-time Pro Bowler about the incident during his introductory press conference as a member of the Buccaneers on Wednesday (September 29), which included Sherman telling a hilarious story, calling Brady a "great sport" about the trash talk.
"Well, he actually sent me a jersey, we exchanged jerseys maybe four or five years ago and he said, 'I'm still mad, bro,'" Sherman said while laughing. "He wrote in on the jersey, so...I'll see if I can find a picture of it and post it. But he's a great sport about everything, man. He's just a competitor. We're a lot of the same spirit in that regard, you know what I mean?
"Anything that it takes to win, obsessed about this game, a lot of what Kobe Bryant stood for, the late great. And so, you can appreciate that about each other and that's what kind of attracted me to come because I know he's the same kind of animal I am, for better or for worse."
On Wednesday, the Bucs announced they signed Sherman to a contract in a news release shared on their official website, as well as a video showing the Pro Bowl cornerback singing his contract shared on their verified Twitter account.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports Sherman and the Bucs agreed to a one-year contract, a source confirmed.
Sherman confirmed he had been in discussions with the Bucs for several weeks and the reigning Super Bowl champions provided "the best offer" among multiple teams -- including his previous teams, the San Francisco 49ers (2018-20) and Seattle Seahawks (2011-2017), as well as the Carolina Panthers -- during a recent episode of the Richard Sherman Podcast.
Sherman also confirmed Brady played a major role in his recruitment during his podcast.
"He's the all-time great quarterback reaching out, and anytime he makes that call, it's a very difficult opportunity to pass up," Sherman said.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Brady was making a strong attempt to recruit Sherman to Tampa Bay prior to his contract agreement on Wednesday.
“[Brady] has been speaking directly to Richard Sherman, trying to recruit him to Tampa,” Garafolo said, jokingly referring to Brady as the Bucs' assistant GM. “I had mentioned that to somebody, and they said, ‘Yeah, but does [defensive coordinator] Todd Bowles want him? Does [head coach] Bruce Arians want him?’ Bruce Arians didn’t want [then-free agent wide receiver] Antonio Brown [last season]. Tom Brady wanted Antonio Brown. Antonio Brown wound up in Tampa Bay. So it doesn’t even matter to me what the coaches want on this one if Brady himself is focused on bringing Sherman in there. So these two, who have been acquaintances, I would say, since Sherman got in his face many, many years ago when he was a young player for the Seattle Seahawks, now could be joining forces in Tampa Bay. Much of that, Brady himself doing.”
Sherman was also the first person to congratulate Brady after the Patriots defeated the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.
The 33-year-old provides a veteran presence to one of the NFL's youngest defensive backfields, which has already lost starting cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting due to a dislocated right elbow injury.
The five-time Pro Bowler was arrested in connection to a situation at the home of his wife's parents in Redmond, Washington during the offseason, but reportedly won't face a suspension by the NFL.
Sherman was charged with five misdemeanors, including two counts of domestic violence, criminal trespass in the second degree, malicious mischief in the third degree, driving while under the influence, reckless endangerment of roadway workers, and resisting arrest, but has pleaded not guilty to all charges, adding that he was "deeply remorseful" for his actions and "behaved in a manner I'm not proud of," in a statement shared on his Twitter account.
ESPN's Jenna Laine reports the Bucs said they did their due diligence in analyzing Sherman's legal situation before signing him.
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