Tread lightly if you plan to criticize the play of San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman. He'll respond. That was clear from the exchange between Sherman and former NFL cornerback Darrelle Revis.
There is, however, at least one critic whose opinion means more to Sherman than most others. That would be his almost 5-year-old son, Rayden.
Rayden didn't get to see his father play in his last Super Bowl. He wasn't born until days after that Super Bowl XLIX loss to the New England Patriots. What does Rayden want for his birthday this year?
A Super Bowl ring.
Sherman plans to do everything in his power to make his son's wish come true. The 49ers cornerback will play in his third Super Bowl, this time against the Kansas City Chiefs, on Sunday. He better have a good game while doing so because, if he doesn't, Rayden will let him know.
"He gave me the greatest compliment that I had gotten in a long time when we played the Minnesota Vikings," Sherman explained on Thursday. "He's like, 'Dad, you played a really good game.'"
Sherman was shocked. Why? Because football praise does not come easy from his son.
"Kids are innocent, and they speak their truth," Sherman continued. "It's been games, we come home, and he's like, 'Dad, you guys really lost to that team, and you didn't play well, and I really thought you were going to play better than that.'"
Ouch.
"What do I say to him?" Sherman added. "I need to go out there and put more work in, so you don't say it again. But [the compliment] really meant a lot to me, and it would mean a lot to me to go out there and help my team win this game."
Sherman, of course, is excited to share this experience with his family. For years, he has watched other players celebrate winning a championship while holding their kids. Sherman wants to experience that and knows the opportunities are rare.
Added Sherman: "That's one of the biggest blessings of this season, is my son has gotten to see me play every game, and he got to understand and recognize what I'm doing."