© Stan Szeto | 2019 May 3
We no longer have to speculate how Richard Sherman feels about the addition of Nick Bosa.
The 49ers’ first-round pick was the subject of some recent controversy regarding now deleted social media activity, that included calling former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick a “clown,” and liking racist and homophobic content on Instagram. Many wondered how the 49ers locker room, and how outspoken players like Sherman, would receive Bosa in light of this activity.
“One thing about football is that nobody really cares what you say if you can play,” Sherman told The Sacramento Bee on Monday. “At the end of the day, I think a guy that has played with African Americans his whole life, not saying he can’t be racist, but they know how to maneuver around African Americans.”
Bosa originally said he deleted the tweets in case he landed with the 49ers, a comment that caused further backlash. Bosa then said he’d hold off from posting his political opinions on social media, and apologized for a number of his previous comments, including the one regarding Kaepernick, during his introductory press conference last week. Sherman has been both a staunch supporter of Kaepernick’s cause of ending social injustice, and his decision not to stand for the national anthem in order to bring attention to it.
“I definitely made some insensitive decisions throughout my life, and I’m just excited to be here with a clean slate,” Bosa said at his introductory news conference. “I’m sorry if I hurt anybody. I definitely didn’t intend for that to be the case, but I think me being here is even better for me as a person because I don’t think there’s any city that you could really be in that would help you grow as much as this one will.
“I’m going to be surrounded by people, all different kinds, so I’m going to grow as a person and I’m going to be on my own. College, you have kind of like that support system around you. Now I’m here, I’m going to be on my own, I’m going to grow up, I’m going to learn a lot of new things.”
“When you’re at Ohio State, it’s not like Ohio State’s an all-white school. So I don’t think that’s going to ever be an issue,” Sherman told Chris Biderman. “I think, at the end of the day, your beliefs are your beliefs … but when you’re in the building and you’re a football player and you’re a teammate, you handle yourself accordingly. And I think he understands that.
“It’s not like something where guys are like, ‘Hey man, what about what you said?’ No. No. If he can play, he can play. If he can’t play, he won’t be here. But at the end of the day, that’s all that matters in football. Is he getting sacks on Sunday? Is he helping our team? Is he being a good teammate? Those are things that matter.
“Now if he’s a bad teammate, that’s something we’ll address.”