During his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, cornerback Richard Sherman didn't hide his hatred for the San Francisco 49ers.
Now a member of the NFC champions, Sherman wants to make it clear he never held any ill-will toward San Francisco, only the man who was leading the team at the time, Jim Harbaugh.
"I wanted to put him out of the league," Sherman said at Super Bowl Opening Night, according to Phil Barber of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. "And once I got that done, I had no animosity toward the 49ers organization."
Sherman was coached by Harbaugh at Stanford from 2007-10. The head coach apparently suggested Sherman, then playing as a receiver, quit on his team for undergoing season-ending knee surgery in 2008.
The five-time Pro Bowler was moved to defense, but his feud with Harbaugh, who led the offense, only escalated.
Stanford's then-defensive coordinator, Ron Lynn, said Sherman used his knowledge of the offense's scheme to aggravate Harbaugh, calling out formations and play calls during practice, per Elliot Almond of The Mercury News.
"There is nothing to mend," Sherman told Almond on Jan. 17. "The bridge was burned down, torn down, and built another bridge at another place. But the bridge in this particular relationship will never be rebuilt. I don't think he is interested in it, and I'm not interested in it."
Sherman - who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2011 draft - revealed recently that 49ers CEO Jed York told him he had a third-round grade from his team, but Harbaugh had the cornerback removed from the draft board, per The Athletic's David Lombardi.
After leading the 49ers to three straight NFC Championship Game appearances and 36 regular-season wins from 2011-13, Harbaugh was fired after finishing 8-8 in 2014 and returned to the college ranks with alma mater Michigan.
