AP

Count Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman among those who think the NFL would be wrong to pass a new rule against players using the N-word on the field.

Asked about the proposal to make use of the N-word an automatic 15-yard penalty, Sherman told Peter King of TheMMQB.com that the NFL would be making a serious mistake if it passed such a rule.

“It’s an atrocious idea,” said Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman. “It’s almost racist, to me. It’s weird they’re targeting one specific word. Why wouldn’t all curse words be banned then?”

Sherman said the N-word is commonly used among NFL players.

“It’s in the locker room and on the field at all times,” Sherman said. “I hear it almost every series out there on the field.”

The NFL appears likely to tell the officials to strictly enforce the already existing rule against using abusive language on the field, and to tell officials that racial slurs can be considered abusive language. But it appears unlikely that a specific rule banning the N-word, which the Fritz Pollard Alliance is urging the NFL to pass, will come to fruition.