ABOVE: Seahawks star Richard Sherman hopes his son-to-be will “do him a favour” and not be born on Super Bowl Sunday
It’s the sort of thing you joke about with your friends over a glass of beer: would you miss something like the Super Bowl, for the birth of your first child?
But for Seattle Seahawks star cornerback Richard Sherman, it’s no joke. He’s one of the biggest players in this Sunday’s Super Bowl – but he’s also expecting to become a father any day now.
That’s left him with a championship-sized dilemma: if he gets “the call” on Super Bowl Sunday, does he play in the big game, or rush to be by his girlfriend’s side?
The All-Pro cornerback joked on Thursday that the baby – a boy – “was going to do his father a favour,” and wait to be born until after the game.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told reporters Friday that the decision would ultimately be up to Sherman.
“He has an opportunity to face a big decision and whenever our players have a personal, family issue that comes up it’s always about family first and they can decide what is best for them and I support that,” Carroll said. “However he goes with that, if he’s faced with that decision we’ll support him and we’ll see how that goes.”
Carroll then joked that he “can’t wait to see little Petey.”
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For any non-football fans out there, here’s a little context before you cast your vote in this contentious “debate”.
For starters, Sherman is not just another player on the Seahawks’ 53-man roster.
A three-time All-Pro, Sherman leads the league in interceptions since entering the NFL in 2012. This past off-season, he signed a four-year, $57.4 million contract and is viewed as perhaps the biggest star on the Seattle roster, a cornerstone of their “Legion of Boom” defence, and arguably the best player at his position in all of football.
His absence would be sorely missed. Especially against the high-powered passing attack of the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots.
On the other hand, Sherman is no stranger to Super Bowl glory. He played in, and won, last year’s Super Bowl, so he already knows what it’s like to play in the big game and win.
The birth of a child, however, would be a “first” for the normally outspoken Sherman.
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And speaking of outspoken, Sherman’s girlfriend apparently supports him playing in the Super Bowl instead of being by her side, should it come to that.
In an interview with KING-TV in Seattle, Sherman’s girlfriend, Ashley Moss, said, “I told him to play the game.”
So, what are your thoughts? Play in the Super Bowl, or be there for the birth of your first child?
Weigh-in and let us know where you would find yourself on Super Bowl Sunday if it came down to it.
-With files from the Associated Press
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