Seattle Seahawks’ corner Richard Sherman was mired in controversy in the win over the Bills, as he ran offsides on a field goal attempt, swung an arm at the ball, and dove into kicker Dan Carpenter. Many called the hit dirty, and he’s now been fined by the league. According to Pro Football Talk:
“Per source, Seahawks Richard Sherman was fined roughly $9,000 for unnecessary roughness for his hit on Bills K Dan Carpenter.”
Opinions on the hit were all over the place. Sherman wasn’t flagged for the hit – though he was flagged for being offsides – and he did touch the ball before he hit Carpenter. After the ball is touched, the kickers can be contacted, unlike on a field goal where the kick was away in time. While that perhaps made the hit legal, some still protested that it was too far because Sherman was miles offsides and the play was then effectively dead.
Carpenter’s wife was especially angry, tweeting a picture of a tool used on the farm and then writing:
“I know what we do on the farm when a male can’t control his own rage.”
According to Yahoo Sports:
“The instrument pictured is a tool used to castrate animals. Male farm animals are castrated to stem their aggression.”
She later apologized, saying that she had meant it as a joke and didn’t mean any harm.
It’s worth noting that Carpenter was fine. He laid on the ground for a moment after the hit, as things were sorted out, but then looked good to go after briefly talking to trainers.
