The Seattle Seahawks are gearing up for a playoff run and received some positive news on Thursday, as cornerback Richard Sherman won his appeal of a four-game suspension for use of performance-enhancing substances.
The ruling means that Sherman will not miss the final regular-season matchup against the St. Louis Rams or the next three playoff games of the Seahawks make it that far. The cornerback first posted the news on Twitter, writing "I won" and then later added, "Thank you @nfl for upholding the truth! To the 12s Thank you your faith is rewarded! Thank you lord."
Sherman's agent Kevin Poston, and George Atallah, executive vice president of external affairs for the Players Association, confirmed the ruling to USA TODAY Sports.
"We just had to prove the case," Poston said to USA TODAY Sports. "They made mistakes with his sample, and the truth came out."
The decision on the appeal was made by former NFL executive Bob Wallace. The NFL did not release a comment, due to the confidentiality provision of the process, but the appeal was officially successful, according to NFL.com.
"Congrats to Richard Sherman for winning his appeal! Happy for him & it'll be great to have him with us as we move forward," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll tweeted Thursday morning
According to ESPN.com, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in an email the league is reviewing the decision.
Sherman filed his appeal late last week and was confident that he would win. After he was suspended along with fellow cornerback Brandon Browner, Sherman professed his innocence and said that the appeals process would exonerate him.
"The league's argument was they are allowed to make mistakes, and they're allowed to break the rules and they can get away with it," Sherman said to USA TODAY Sports. "It's up to them. The appeal officer is paid by the league, so if he goes their way, that's what it is. It's not an even playing field in the appeal room."
Browner is currently serving his suspension and will be eligible to come back following the regular-season finale. The second-year corner has made 44 tackles this season with three interceptions and three forced fumbles to give the Seahawks two skilled players on the wings.
According to Sherman, the reason for the positive test had to do with the tester mixing his urine sample with another player, which he wrote about on Twitter last week. Sherman also said that the tester had a history of mistakes while working for the NFL's drug program.
"You've got the right procedures in place, but you've got to follow that. In this case, it wasn't done correctly," Poston said. "Richard Sherman, he didn't go to Stanford for nothing. He's smart. I'm proud of the way he stood up for himself on this."
According to Adam Schefter at ESPN, "A major part of Sherman's appeal, which was heard Friday, involved his claim that the cup containing his urine specimen was leaking, prompting the collector to place a second cup underneath it to capture any leakage."
"Sherman stated that the second cup's seal already had been broken before being used to stop the leakage from his cup, according to the source. Since the second cup's seal was broken, the chain of custody also was broken, therefore nullifying Sherman's positive test for Adderall."
"Sherman and his representatives argued that his tested urine sample was contaminated as a result of the second cup. If the collector confirmed the second cup's seal was broken, there would be grounds for Sherman escaping his suspension."
Based on Sherman's argument, he won his appeal fair and square and now will be able to help the Seahawks as they make a playoff run in the NFC. Sherman has been one of the best defensive players in the league this year and has been dominant as a cornerback. He is tied for the league lead with 23 passes defended and ranks second with seven interceptions. He has made 61 tackles this season with one sack and has scored two touchdowns.
Despite his great statistics, Sherman was snubbed for a spot on the Pro Bowl team, which is voted on by players and coaches. The Seahawks put five players on the squad, including center Max Unger and left tackle Russell Okung, who were both named Pro Bowl starters. Safety Earl Thomas and running back Marshawn Lynch were designated backups, while Leon Washington will be the conference's kick returner.
Sherman was named an injury alternate behind the Chicago Bears duo of Tim Jennings and Charles Tillman, and Arizona's Patrick Peterson. He said that the snub was not a big deal and that he had bigger things in mind this year anyway.
"It don't mean nothing," Sherman said Wednesday, according to ESPN.com. "I bet you I'll be on the first-team All-Pro. That means more to me."
The Seahawks defense will be much stronger down the stretch with Sherman in the lineup and will be able to team up with Browner once the playoffs hit. Browner was a Pro Bowl selection last season and the two cornerbacks are arguably the top tandem in the NFL this year.
Without Browner in the lineup, Seattle hasn't missed a beat, going 3-0 while outscoring opponents 150-30. Only the 1950 L.A. Rams have scored that many points in three consecutive games in NFL history. During Browner's absence, Sherman has stepped his game up, making three interceptions and scoring twice, including on a block field goal against the San Francisco 49ers.
Seattle is ranked fifth in passing defense this season, allowing just 199 yards per game, in large part due to the play of Sherman. The duo of Browner and Sherman made national news earlier this year after shutting down the New England Patriots on the road in a 24-23 win and forced Tom Brady to throw two interceptions, including one by Sherman.
The Seahawks still have a chance to win the NFC West after defeating the 49ers last Sunday night and are playing like the one team that nobody wants to matchup against in the playoffs. Rookie Russell Wilson has been a game-changer for the offense, while Marshawn Lynch has been a consistent a tough running back all year.
Seattle is currently in the fifth playoff spot with a 10-5 record and trail the 49ers, who have a 10-4-1 record and the division lead.
