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Is ‘Thug’ the New N-Word?

By Albert Lin

Richard Sherman Postgame InterviewSeattle Seahawks football player Richard Sherman drew unwanted attention to himself on Sunday after an emotional—and some say unnecessary—display during a postgame interview.

Now he is turning the tables on his critics. On Wednesday, he responded to the many people who called him a thug for his behavior, saying, “The only reason it bothers me is because it seems like it’s the accepted way of calling somebody the N-word nowadays. It’s like everyone else said the N-word and they said ‘Thug’ and they’re like, ‘Ah, that’s fine.’ That’s where it kind of takes me aback and it’s kind of disappointing.”

In the interview, on the field immediately after he made a game-saving deflection that sent his team to the Super Bowl, Sherman said this to FOX’s Erin Andrews: “I’m the best corner in the game! When you try me with a sorry receiver like [San Francisco 49er Michael] Crabtree, that’s the result you gonna get! Don’t you ever talk about me! … Don’t you open your mouth about the best or I’m gonna shut it for you real quick!”

On Wednesday, Sherman chose to ignore the many people who in fact used the N-word and instead only addressed those who called him a thug—and there were a lot, even in the mainstream media. Based on closed captioning, iQ Media counted 625 mentions of “thug” on Monday across all media markets, with the simulcast of a Boston sports-radio talk show recording 12 thugs in a two-minute span.

“What’s the definition of a thug really?” Sherman said, referencing a recent National Hockey League game that featured a fight during the opening faceoff. “Maybe I’m talking loudly and doing something I’m not supposed to. But I’m not … There was a hockey game where they didn’t even play hockey. They just threw the puck aside and started fighting. I saw that and said, ‘Oh, man. I’m the thug? What’s going on here?’”

In fact, a microphone on Sherman revealed that after time expired, he ran up to Crabtree, said, “Hell of a game, hell of a game,” and tried to shake Crabtree’s hand. Crabtree shoved him in the helmet before an official escorted Sherman away.

A Stanford graduate, Sherman says he has constantly had to deal with the preconceived notions people have of him as a Black man who grew up in Compton, Calif. Despite attending a high school in a district with a 57 percent graduation rate, Sherman finished with a 4.2 grade-point average and was class salutatorian, earning a scholarship to one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. He also grew up idolizing boxer Muhammad Ali, who was not one to shy away from a camera, so perhaps it is no surprise that Sherman displays a healthy bit of bravado.

“I know some thugs, and they know I’m the furthest thing from a thug,” Sherman said. “I’ve fought that my whole life, just coming from where I’m coming from. Just because you hear Compton, you hear Watts, you hear cities like that, you just think, ‘Thug, he’s a gangster, he’s this, that and the other,’ and then you hear Stanford, and they’re like, ‘Oh, man, that doesn’t even make sense, that’s an oxymoron.’ You fight it for so long, and to have it come back up and people start to use it again, it’s really frustrating.”

‘We Haven’t Come as Far as I Thought’

In a Tuesday interview with CNN that aired on Friday, Sherman was more introspective, acknowledging that he may have crossed a line. “I probably shouldn’t have attacked another person,” he said. “You know, I don’t mean to attack [Crabtree]. And that was immature and I probably shouldn’t have done that. I regret doing that.”

He also said his piece about the comments coming from the less civilized corners of the Internet.

“It was really mind-boggling the way the world reacted,” Sherman said. “I can’t say the world, I don’t want to generalize people like that because there are a lot of great people who didn’t react that way. But for the people who did react that way and throw the racial slurs and things like that out there, it was really sad. Especially that close to Martin Luther King Day.

“I learned we haven’t come as far as I thought we had. I thought society had moved past that.”

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19 Comments

  • Yes, “thug” is the new N word. I see it used in the comments section of news articles about black males all the time.

    • Here you have a young man who made what used to be a gentlemanly gesture by entending his hand and saying “hell of a game” to the other player and that player reacting by shoving him in the face mask. I have yet to hear anyone criticize Michael Crabtree for his response to what was not an intimidating gesture. For those who have not played under the pressures these young men face in spite of the other adversities, it would seem to be a normal reaction to get angry when someone responds the way Crabtree did. Does this justify calling Mr Sherman a thug, by no means. He just displayed a normal reaction to being dished. Hopefully people can get past this and focus on the upcoming Super Bowl, where again this young man will get the opportunity to let his play prove what his words expressed in that exchange and that is he is the greatest corner in the game today.

    • Representative Richard Grimm threaten a reporter for attempting to question him about his indiscretions. It has been widely reported but not once was he called a thug. Sherman made no threat yet he is called a thug. Hmmmm, I wonder what’s the difference!!

  • What did Sherman say that was so bad?? He was hyped up after the game, so what. I don’t feel he had anything to apologize for. As for the use of Thug for black men, I see it happen often. I think Sherman had it right when he said, “I learned we haven’t come as far as I thought we had. I thought society had moved past that.”

  • i didn’t think it was “bad” however I did feel it was classless. I appreciate his sentiment afterwards about regretting the attack on Crabtree. As for the thug perspective, I can see it, however we should keep in mind that his actions were meant to intimidate. It was very much an alpha male response…actions done with emotion and bravado, not with thought and consideration. These actions are “thuggish” regardless of the individual making them. We associate the term thug to the hip hop culture because of its usage there, however the definition, “a brutal ruffian or assassin” could legitimately be associated to Richard Sherman and his profession if not literally then certainly figuratively. So, is Richard Sherman, the football player, a thug? I hope so if I’m a Seattle Seahawks fan. Is Richard Sherman, the person, a thug, all evidence the media has presented us in the recent weeks would say no. Do we as a people have trouble dissassociating the player or performer persona from the individual, absolutely. Therefore, I feel we need to understand this when considering whether or not we want to take another word and associate it to such justifiably horrible and hateful feelings.

  • I have never heard or read of a white guy being called a thug. And I’ve never heard or a read of a white athlete being called a thug after yelling about something. Sherman brings up a good example, if there is ever a place where thugs and thuggish behavior exists, it’s in professional hockey. They have players who are called enforcers whose sole job is to rough up the other teams’s players. But they aren’t called thugs, maybe because the National Hockey League is about 99% white.

    • I think you’re stretching there Lee. You are associating the on ice behaviors of the players, which are part of the sporting event, with the on camera behavior of Sherman, which is “outside the lines.” I couldn’t begin to substantiate the frequency of the term in hockey or your personal experience, but I don’t think you have a good comparison between Sherman ranting on a microphone and a hockey player engaged in activity that is part of the contest.

      • Jamie, I think you’re making an attempt to skirt the obvious issue. You seem to excuse the thuggish behavior of (mostly white) hockey players as something that is “part of the sporting event” as if fighting is acceptable at any time. It’s not and it’s ridiculous on your end.

        • Jeremy, thanks for going to the ridiculous point and losing all credibility. Some might recognize that as a tactic to try and intimidate me? Although it is arguable that credibility was lost when you stated that there is no difference between what happens within a sporting event and outside. Essentially you lend creedence to my statement that we, as a culture, have a difficult time distiguishing the performer/athlete from the person. What a genius Richard Sherman is for making himself relevant and encouraging such dialogue. I’m sure Goodell is appreciative of the hype. Looking forward to a good game on Sunday.

    • I have even heard President Obama referred to as another “thug from Chicago”. Now it all clicks…

      I think Sherman was also reacting to the lack of sportsmanship shown by his opponent at the end of the game.

      • “Thugs from Chicago” harkens back, for me, to the city’s criminal history around the prohibition era. To my knowledge, although admittedly passing, I believe most of these thugs were of European descent. I would associate Obama (in this context, not that I associate him in this way personally) with this period of crooked politics and law moreso that I would associate him with this image of thug we are tossing around relating to modern day gangsters.

  • Was Sharman’s post game response over the top? Yes; he was very hyped up – I don’t blame him. He regrets saying all that he said, as any decent person should be. Let’s move on.
    And NHL players that approach the game to fight are thugs.
    Thug is NOT the new N-word.

  • Stan Jefferies

    Hes a great great player and I think this has been blown a little out of proportion. While I dont think “Thug” is anywhere near as inflamatory as the n word, I do think people associate it with criminal behavior. (See 2Pac Shakur’s glamorization of the lifestyle) That being said, a Salutatorian and Stanford grad is far from a thug. His behavior after the game was unprofessional, and unsportsmanlike but never did I think this dude was a criminal, therefore he cant be a thug. Anyway, hes gonna be a Super Bowl champion within the next 5 days so add that to his list of accolades. Good Luck Sherm!

  • Mark Weber

    I am a big fan of Sherman. He is an excellent player and hard hitter. Sherman intimidates receivers who fear interceptions and the pain from his hits. ‘Thug’ is an ugly term, but it has been a long-term means of describing those that intimidate. The NHL Philadelphia Flyers of the 1980’s punished opponents and succeeded. They were called ‘thugs.’

    Comparing ‘thug’ to the ‘N-word’ is wrong. It is like calling proponents of gun control, ‘Nazis’. When we get ultra-sensitive about names and terminology, we are only helping racists. Focus on true racism, not this banter. Mr. Sherman is doing very well in this ‘thug’ environment.

  • Carol Evans

    I find it very interesting that we want athletes to be “psyched” and “excited” while playng the game, but once it is over we want them to immediately turn it off.

    He is not a “thug”, but I feel was still caught up in the emotion of the game. I agree with Stan. This has been blown way out of proportion. I’m still not sure what he said that should be considered “wrong”.

  • Darren Salter

    Wow! When my parents raised me (60’s and 70’s) they hoped for better treatment by society then they had. Dad was from down south (Ga) and mom from north (Brooklyn), before my mom died in 1989 her hopes were lost 4 days before she died by a white man towing my car. I asked him why he was towing it and he said don’t come any closer Nigger, talk to the police. He said it to show his power over the situation. I was a college grad working in corporate america celebrating my 3oth birthday. That day that man stole a little bit of my humanity! My point is why is this a topic at all? Why does this young man who graduated from Stanford and made a play that took his team to the superbowl have to censor his excitement. I have a son his age and at 55 years old things have not changed, African American parents still hope for better treatment by society. Let it go and lets focus on the game!

  • I see an outstanding athelete that was caught up in the heat of a great game and a great victory.In that situation anybody and I mean ANYBODY is capable of saying some things that some may take exception to. I see Richard as a man loaded with skills that has high emotion as he cares about the game,performance and winning. With his high level of emotion and knowledge of the game of football, the man has a future in coaching after his NFL career as a player winds down.

  • Stan Jefferies

    Told Ya!!! Go Hawks

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