Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman and ESPN reporter Ed Werder have a close relationship: When Sherman announced last week that he was boycotting the media, he said Werder would be the one and only exception.
For Werder, that means exclusive access to one of the NFL’s most colorful characters, but the problem for members of the media is that relationships like that will draw added scrutiny from those who look for signs of media bias. And when Werder talked to Sherman on the field immediately following Saturday night’s game, Werder said something to Sherman that raised accusations of bias among Falcons fans.
At the end of their interview, Werder told Sherman that he’d see him in two weeks at the NFC Championship Game. That, of course, will only happen if the Seahawks beat the Falcons next week, and some Falcons fans spoke out on social media, saying that Werder was acting as a cheerleader for Sherman’s team and overlooking their opponents.
Werder, after hearing from Falcons fans, apologized.
“Being professional, fair and objective important to me. If I owe Falcons an apology for having some fun with Richard Sherman, they have it,” Werder wrote on Twitter. “Intended point to Richard Sherman was I’m covering Cowboys playoff game next week so whether I cover Seahawks again depends on them winning.”
With Werder in Dallas next week, Sherman will apparently not be talking to any members of the media following the game in Atlanta.
