Richard Sherman Might Have To Decide Between Super Bowl, Baby's Birth
PHOENIX (CBSNewYork/AP) — Richard Sherman has contingency plans in place should his girlfriend give birth to their first child — a son — before Sunday's Super Bowl against New England.
Sherman doesn't seem worried about the potential arrival of his son interfering with his chances at winning -- or perhaps playing -- a second straight Super Bowl. He's expecting his son to be cooperative from birth.
"He's not supposed to come on Sunday. Obviously that would change some things. But I think he's going to be a disciplined young man and stay in there until after the game. He's going to do his father his first favor and stay in there for another week or two," Sherman said on Thursday.
Beverly Sherman
"But I've thought about the possibility of him coming during the game and coming before the game and we have things in place in case that happens and we'll cross that bridge when we get there. But I did not know it was a topic of national debate, honestly. I would not like to miss the birth of my first son, my first kid. Thankfully, hopefully and God willing we won't have to cross that bridge."
Sherman revealed the pending birth of his son earlier this week in a first-person article for The MMQB.
His girlfriend is in Arizona and has made arrangements made with a local hospital should she go into labor.
Several of Sherman's teammates said they would understand if he missed the big game for the birth of his son. Linebacker K.J. Wright said the Seahawks will "be OK," adding "please go" and "family's got to come first," according to the New York Daily News.
"Unfortunately it's the biggest stage in sports. But a new life?" defensive end Cliff Avril said, according to the Daily News. "That's way more important to me and it should be more important to him."
But Sherman's girlfriend, Ashley Moss, told a Seattle television station that the cornerback is "very locked in; football comes first."
Moss said Sherman instructed her to call if she goes into labor during the game. She doesn't think it'll happen. But if it does?
"I guess we'll have a Super Bowl baby and if you see Richard heading for the locker room right after it hits zero in the fourth quarter, don't be surprised," she told KING-TV.
Head coach Pete Carroll says it will be Sherman's decision whether to play on Sunday if his pregnant girlfriend goes into labor.
Carroll said during a joint press conference with New England coach Bill Belichick on Friday that family comes first and "if (Sherman) is faced with that decision, we'll support him."
Carroll also added, "I can't wait to see little Petey."
New Yorkers appeared split on which approach Sherman should take.
"The baby probably won't remember if he was there, and everybody will remember if he wins the Super Bowl," Lisa said.
"He's got to be at the birth of his first baby. They'll be at another game and they'll kick butt again," Tamara Shenkle told CBS2's Vanessa Murdock.
Jets wide receiver Eric Decker made his stance clear.
"I would be there for my wife, my newborn child. I couldn't miss that. It's the Super Bowl of my life," Decker said.
WORTHY CAUSE
Cancer Treatment Centers of America and the NFL Alumni Association announced a partnership to raise awareness among NFL Alumni and fans around the country about screening, diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer.
The partnership also calls for CTCA to treat NFL Alumni who are fighting the disease at each of its five hospitals (in Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Tulsa). CTCA will also become a sponsor of the NFLA's Super Bowl of Golf, an annual member event that is part of the NFLA's charitable fundraising activities.
Other than non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the U.S. Nearly one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. The American Cancer Society estimates that 233,000 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in the U.S. in 2014. More than 29,000 men succumbed to the disease that year.
BRIGHT LIGHTS IN THE BIG APPLE
The Empire State Building will track the Super Bowl on its tower lights with a virtual scoreboard on Sunday. The lights, which will shine in the colors of the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, will change depending on the score of the game, ultimately shining in the colors of the winning team for the rest of the evening.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
