The Seattle Seahawks booked their ticket to the Super Bowl by winning the NFC Championship on Sunday, but not without some controversy.

When Erin Andrews of Fox Sports grabbed Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman for a post-game interview, he looked right into the camera and said, “I’m the best corner in the game and when you try me against a sorry receiver like Crabtree that’s the results you going to get.”

Sherman had tipped away a pass aimed at San Francisco 49er's Michael Crabtree. The Seahawks’ Malcolm Smith caught the ball for an interception, ensuring Seattle’s win.

The remarks sparked a media flurry and large social media response, including a variety of insulting remarks. Dave Zirin, sportswriter for The Nation, told David Hyde on KUOW’s The Record that much of the backlash is racially-based; sometimes in the form of racial-coding – like calling Sherman a “thug” and that he has no class – and other times with outright racial tropes and slurs.

Zirin argued that Sherman’s background argues against the negative response he has received. Sherman grew up in a working-class family in Compton, Los Angeles. He went to Stanford and worked his way from a fifth-round draft pick to be a likely pick for NFL’s defensive player of the year, according to Zirin.