Ed Schultz defended Seattle Seahawks' Richard Sherman Monday night for his post-game rant that went viral over the weekend, accusing the media of having an unfair reaction to the player's comments.
The MSNBC host said Sherman was simply "fired up" and "passionate" when the Fox News sports anchor approached him for an interview "just seconds after" the cornerback made the play that guaranteed the Seahawks a spot in Super Bowl XLVIII. But Schultz said he was shocked by the "hateful and downright racist" response from the media world over the loud tone of Sherman's rant.
"People called Sherman a 'thug,' a 'monkey,' and many used racial slurs," Schultz said. "What does this type of reaction say, where we stand as a country in regards to race, when that becomes a focal point in the Twitter world after the guy just made an unbelievable play?"
Schultz criticized social media platforms like Twitter for being the force behind such a negative and unfair response.
"Richard Sherman is a 25-year-old Stanford graduate who majored in communications. Sherman just made the play of his life on the biggest stage of his career. Sherman didn't use any profanity whatsoever.... Whether or not you think his statements were over the top there is no excuse for folks turning this into an issue of race. But of course, the rude and vile world of Twitter and the impulse that people play with in the electronic media and social media can take over."
Watch the video for the clip from "The Ed Show."
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