The Tipping Point: A Closer Look into Richard Sherman's Game-Winning Interception and Its Legacy
By Jeremy Strause
February 3rd, 2024
It’s January 19th, 2014, the NFC Championship, just one game away from the Super Bowl. The score is 23-17, only 31 seconds left in the game and the Seahawks lead. However, the San Francisco 49ers are just 18 yards from the endzone. People around the United States can hear the Seahawks fans through their television screens, screaming and jumping up and down, trying to distract the rising superstar Colin Kaepernick.
On the right side of Kaepernick stands Michael Crabtree, star wide receiver for the 49ers. On the other side of the line of scrimmage, it’s just Richard Sherman, one on one, mano e mano. When the ball is snapped, Crabtree runs a streak and into the endzone creating a little separation from Sherman. Kaepernick sees Crabtree and throws up a wonky spiral.
Sherman sees it up in the air, jumps up, reaching out, utilizing all of his 60 inch wingspan. The same wingspan that teams passed on him for, one of the reasons he slipped to the 154th pick. At the moment, Sherman only needed 60 inches, tipping the ball right into the lap of linebacker Malcom Smith, ball game.
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
Centurylink Field erupts into a volume so high that nobody can hear the announcers. Sherman runs up to Crabtree and offers to shake his hand, which Crabtree promptly rejects,shoving Sherman's facemask.
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After the Seahawks win, Sherman is confronted by reporter Erin Andrews. She asks for Sherman’s perspective on the final play, and Sherman has no filter.
"Well I’m the best corner in the game! When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that’s the result you’re gonna get! Don’t you ever talk about me!”
“Who was talking about you?” Andrews asks.
“Crabtree. Don’t you talk about the best,” Sherman responds. “Or I’m gonna shut it for you real quick. L.O.B. [Legion of Boom].”
Later in the night, Sherman calls Crabtree a “mediocre” receiver during a press conference. These interviews hit mainstream media and go viral. Viewers love Sherman’s raw emotion and thought into his answer. It doesn’t sound scripted or media trained, which some find refreshing.
This beef between Crabtree and Sherman doesn’t end after the press conference. Crabtree goes onto twitter at 8:18 p.m., tweeting out “Film don't lie... @nflnetwork @espn pull up the tape of that game and show me where this guy is the best? #fake #fake #fake.” Sherman claps back 50 minutes later, saying “A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of a sheep.”
The beef dies down shortly thereafter. Two weeks later, Sherman’s defense carries the momentum from the NFC Championship win into the Super Bowl. The Seahawks win 43-8, the biggest margin of victory in Super Bowl history and capture the team’s first ever championship. Sherman and the Seahawks celebrate around Seattle and Centurylink, attracting an audience of nearly one million people.
We are now approaching the NFC Championship game featuring the Lions and our San Francisco 49ers, a decade later. The question is: what happened to all of the players involved in one of the most iconic plays in NFL History?
Richard Sherman
Shortly after the Super Bowl victory, Sherman was awarded for his incredible play as the cover athlete for Madden 15. Madden 15 is currently the one of only two covers to feature a defensive player (Ray Lewis in Madden 05 was the other). Sherman went on to continue his dominance, four more seasons with the Seahawks, three with the 49ers, and one more with the Buccaneers. He ended his career with five pro bowl selections, three all pro teams and he made the Hall of Fame 2010 team. Sherman is most likely a first ballot Hall of Famer. Sherman is now pursuing a career on the screen, serving as a studio analyst for Amazon Prime “Thursday Night Football.”
Michael Crabtree
Before the infamous tip, Crabtree was a rising superstar. In 2012, Crabtree had 1105 yards. However in the 2013 season, he suffered a torn achilles in a team practice before the season, sidelining him for 11 games. After the tip and injury, Crabtree was never the same. He played one more year on the 49ers before being moved to the Raiders. After three solid years averaging around 750 yards per year, Crabtree then moved to Baltimore and Arizona, where he barely saw any action. In 2021, Crabtree was inducted to the Texas Tech Ring of Honor, but he hasn’t been heard from since.
Colin Kaepernick
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After the elimination, Kaepernick had a great season, throwing for 3,369 yards and rushing for 639 yards. However, the 49ers didn’t have a good season, going 8-8 and missing the playoffs. After this season, the 49ers never regained their firepower. Kaepernick got hurt and key players departed. Fast Forward to September 1st, 2016, Kaepernick decided to kneel during the national anthem of a preseason game against the Chargers, protesting against police brutality and racial injustice. This moment of activism went viral, people supporting Kaepernick for sticking up for this movement, and others thought it was “un-american.” It got so big President Obama took notice and defended Kaepernick. Then, more players and teams decided to take part and kneel during the anthem. Kaepernick had a pretty poor year, and saw him get benched on a December 4th game against the Bears. This is where the average NFL gets skeptical. Kaepernick opts out of his contract, but never gets picked up in Free Agency. A lot of lesser quarterbacks get picked above Kaepernick, who is definitely a competent starter. This trend was immediately picked up by fans, who believed that Kaepernick has been essentially blackballed from the NFL. People go to the NFL Headquarters and protest for Kaepernick. It doesn't work and Kaepernick is still looking for a team, eight years later.
Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images
The aftermath of the iconic NFC Championship game on January 19th, 2014, echoes through the course of NFL history, revealing very different paths for its key players. Richard Sherman, propelled by his pivotal play, ascends to football greatness, earning accolades, and transitions into a respected analyst. On the other hand, Michael Crabtree, once a rising star, sees his career dimmed by injury and fluctuating performance, ultimately fading from the limelight. Meanwhile, Colin Kaepernick's journey takes a different turn, marked by activism and controversy, sparking a national conversation that transcends the game itself, leaving a mark on both sport and society.
In 2024, the 49ers are now approaching the Super Bowl, after taking down the Detroit Lions 34-31. During the game, we saw game changing plays from an assortment of players. Brandon Aiyuk made the catch of the season off of a Brian Branch deflection. Brock Purdy had some incredible plays with his feet, rushing for 48 yards on 5 carries. The 49ers forced a fumble on a Jamhyr Gibbs rush. All of these plays were game changers, similarly to Richard Sherman’s infamous tip 10 years ago.