Various players have shared his sentiment, insisting it will be tough to legislate.
Seattle Seahawks star cornerback Richard Sherman has revealed that he does not agree with the NFL’s proposed ban on the use of the N-word on the field.
The league’s competition committee is expected to discuss the rule where players would be penalised 15 yards for using racial slurs during play.
However, it has received a mixed reception in the past few days, with Sherman disagreeing with the concept while a survey of three black players in the NFL resulted in two against the measure, while D’Qwell Jackson was in favour.
“It’s an atrocious idea,” Sherman, told themmqb.com, as reported by ESPN.
“It’s almost racist to me. It’s weird they’re targeting one specific word. Why wouldn’t all curse words be banned then?”
Sherman’s argument against the ban was based on the fact that the word is not always necessarily used as a racial slur against an opponent, with teammates regularly using it during plays as part of their normal vocabulary.
“It’s in the locker room and on the field at all times,” Sherman added. “I hear it almost every series out there on the field.”
Tennessee Titans cornerback Jason McCourty agreed with his assessment, insisting that it was such a common word that it would be too much for the NFL to try and get rid of it while Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark believes it will be “really tough to legislate”.
However, that has not stopped officials pushing for the ban to be put into effect, with former NFL lineman and chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation, John Wooten, claiming that players should also be ejected for constant use of such language which he described as the “most vicious word”.
The NFL is expected to address the issue and move forward with the new rule if the measure is approved at the owners’ meeting which is scheduled for March 23-26 in Orlando.
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