San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman said Wednesday he regrets the controversy surrounding the pregame interaction between himself and Baker Mayfield and he would likely reach out and apologize to the Cleveland Browns quarterback.
Sherman created a stir when he told NFL.com columnist Michael Silver after his team's 31-3 win that Mayfield did not shake his hand before the coin toss. After the publishing of the column, video surfaced that showed Mayfield slapping hands with Sherman before the coin toss, then running to his sideline after the referee picked up the coin.
Sherman acknowledged the initial shake Tuesday on Twitter and then offered a mea culpa during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
"It's definitely my bad," Sherman said Wednesday. "I never want anyone to deal with some s--- that they didn't do. The questions that he is going to get, the annoying, nonsense questions about some stuff that happened in the game, that's already been done, you know, sure, he'll get an apology for that. I'll probably reach out to him via text or social media to actually get a hold of him to talk to him on the phone."
Sherman added: "He definitely deserves an apology, that was my bad on that."
Mayfield told reporters Wednesday in the Browns locker room that he never intended to snub Sherman.
"That's the one time the camera and something recording me has gone in my favor," Mayfield joked before adding, "I respect him and who he is as a player. He's a great player, and he has been for a while. In no way did I mean it like that."
Though Sherman admitted his mistake, he did maintain that the feeling of disrespect he originally relayed to Silver was legit.
The 4-0 Niners face the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday in a key NFC West showdown, while the Browns will look to rebound against Sherman's old team, the Seattle Seahawks.
