Richard Sherman on Super Bowl LV and Fan Controlled Football
If you have dreamed of owning a football team, your time has come.
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman announced Wednesday that Fan Controlled Football is inviting regular folks to invest in any of the league’s four teams for its inaugural season, which will kick off on Feb. 13.
Fans and investors can buy into their favorite FCF team — the Glacier Boys, Beasts, Zappers or Wild Aces — for a minimum investment of $150 and the chance to become co-owners alongside notable names in sports and entertainment.
How did Sherman, a five-time Pro Bowler, come to be an investor?
“I thought it was an interesting concept,” Sherman told Touchdown Wire on Wednesday. “I thought it was something fans could get excited about, especially during the offseason, when people don’t have much football to be excited about and all you have to look forward to is next season.
“I think having an effect on the game is going to be huge for the fans. It will be huge for them to feel like they are affecting the game and to be able to invest in teams emotionally, financially, and actually being able to control aspects of the game. It is one of those situations where, conceptually, it made a lot of sense, and I am excited to see it come to fruition,”
Look for a diverse group of people in the front office and on different staffs.
From Co-Founder and CEO Sohrob Farurdi to FCF Commisonier Ray Austin, the FCF has a strong history of boosting diversity and inclusion. WNBA Star and Atlanta Hawks broadcaster Renee Montgomery is the first female team owner.
In addition, FCF has assembled an all-female athletic training staff and the COVID Compliance Team is led by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Tara Kirk Sell, PhD.
Sherman spoke about the lack of diversity in recent NFL hires and how FCF will address the issue.
“I think the FCF will be more active,” he said. “This is a different conceptual model — a lot of play-calling. Decisions are made by the fans, so it is not as coach-dependent.
“The [NFL] is the league, and they can make a powerful statement but at this point, you can be a highly sought-after and qualified minority coach and not get a job. You can be a tight ends coach, not a minority, and get a head coaching job. You can be a special teams coach and not a minority coach and get a head coaching job. It is one of those things where it doesn’t matter. They find excuses against minority candidates instead of reasons to hire them.”
As for why to invest in FCF, Sherman said, “It’s Fan Controlled Football. What’s better than that? What’s better than fans controlling aspects of the game that they dreamed to control. What’s more fun for a fan than to be a coach, a GM, to pick the players, to pick the plays. It is real life.”
Sherman addressed Super Bowl LV, which will feature star quarterbacks Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, both of whom Sherman has played against in the big game.
“I played both in Super Bowls and unfortunately, we came away empty-handed both times,” said Sherman, who is a five-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champ with the Seattle Seahawks. “We had control of both games for the most part. You have to be smart to understand what they do well. What they don’t do well.”
The DB said you have to take different approaches to each QB.
“Mahomes you have to keep him in the pocket and pressure him and stay over the top of his receivers, which is much easier said than done,” Sherman said. “Brady you have to get pressure in his face, interior line. You have to make him pay for his mistakes. If he throws interceptions, you have to score points.”
As for the three picks in the second half in seven throws against Green Bay by the G.O.A.T. “It is definitely troublesome. I think they are banking on this is Tom Brady and you won’t define his legacy of the half of a football. He will get the benefit of the doubt rightfully so because history says you kind of have to.
“It is going to be hard to bet against Tom. The Chiefs have shown they are a tough out. But so is Tom. I really don’t have a horse in the fight.”
When it comes to choosing to invest here are the teams and the owners:
Beasts: Super Bowl champion Marshawn Lynch, pro-wrestling superstar Miro, and WNBA star Renee Montgomery. Montgomery was recently named the first female owner of the FCF.
Glacier Boyz: Hip-hop mogul Quavo, Super Bowl champion Richard Sherman, and YouTube sensation Deestroying.
Wild Aces: Greg Miller of Kinda Funny, Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler.
Zappers: New York Mets pitcher Trevor May, and sportscaster Bob Menery.
