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Richard Sherman said Baker Mayfield didn't shake is hand. The lie detector determined that was a lie
Since his NFL career began in 2011, Richard Sherman has never, ever stopped talking. So it was hardly surprising to see that he had plenty to say about Baker Mayfield following the San Francisco 49ers 31-3 drubbing of the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football. When an opportunity to bury someone presents itself, especially someone like Mayfield, who is known to yap a bit himself, Sherman is going to pounce.
Following his team's fourth straight victory, Sherman took aim at the Browns quarterback for not shaking his hand at midfield prior to the coin toss. Here were Sherman's exact words, per NFL.com's Mike Silver:
"What's amazing, and annoying, was him not shaking hands at the beginning," Sherman told reporters. "That's some college (expletive). It's ridiculous. We're all trying to get psyched up, but shaking hands with your opponent — that's NFL etiquette. And when you pull bush league stuff, that's disrespectful to the game. And believe me, that's gonna get us fired up."
Sounds fair enough, right? As some pointed out on social media, Mayfield's snub of Sherman was especially odd given Mayfield was not pleased when something similar happened to him at Oklahoma. Prior to a game against Kansas, each of the Jayhawks captains refused to shake Mayfield's hand, causing him to start loudly clapping in their face. Later, with the game completely out of reach, cameras captured Mayfield grabbing his crotch on the sideline while he stared over at the Kansas sideline. Sherman's story would lead one to believe that Baker is a hypocrite.
In an M. Night Shyamalan-ian twist, it would appear as though Sherman is lying, at least according to multiple videos of the pregame coin toss that have surfaced on social media. Here's the first that began making the rounds this afternoon:
In this clip, it's difficult to tell if Sherman and Mayfield ever embrace. Though upon further review, it actually looks like Sherman is the one the snubs him. Luckily, there is another angle:
First of all, who randomly films the jumbotron at a NFL game? Weird move, but it did give us the clip that clearly shows Sherman and Mayfield shaking hands, so kudos I guess. But wait ... A THIRD ANGLE!
So yeah, they 100 percent shook hands, meaning Sherman flat out lied, which is a very strange thing to lie about. It makes Sherman's second quote about the whole situation sound extra preachy:
"Respect the game," Sherman added. "You can have rivals, but pay your respect in that moment — especially when you're young. He hasn't earned anything in this league. How many games has he won? He's acting like he was the MVP last year. If (Patrick) Mahomes did that, it would be one thing. But he would never do that, because he has too much respect for the game."
The parts about Mayfield not earning anything and acting like he was the MVP last year are both true, but the respect the game and pay your respect parts are weird given Mayfield literally shook Sherman's hand and paid his respects. Apparently, that was not good enough for Sherm:
Ahh, yes, the ol' "now that I've been caught in a lie, I'll pass it off as 'not that big of a deal,' even though I'm the one who made a huge deal out of it in the first place because I really just wanted to call out Baker Mayfield because I don't like him." Oldest trick in the book.
(billy mays voice, RIP) BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Here's another clip of Baker booking it for the sideline after the coin toss was over:
This story is still in its infancy and I think I speak for everyone in saying we've already had enough. Let's put #HandshakeGatePart2 to bed immediately. Part 1 was WAY better anyway: