Lorenzo Reyes

USA TODAY

RENTON, Wash. – Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has been one of the most candid players in expressing his opinions on issues of health and safety, race, economics and other topics central to life in the NFL.

And as his team gears up to face the Panthers in the divisional round of the playoffs Sunday, Sherman expressed support for Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, who has been criticized for his on-field celebrations, including dancing after big plays.

“No,” Sherman said Wednesday at the team’s facility when asked if Newton’s celebrations have bothered him. “You get to the end zone, in an NFL game, you get the right to celebrate. You’ve worked hard. You’re a professional athlete. If you don’t get a chance to celebrate in the pros, when do you get a chance to celebrate? When do you get to show what you can do – to enjoy yourself?

“This is a game. Some people who have never played it, who have never expressed passion, sit behind desks all day and do that. Maybe you celebrate sometimes when you do something great, and nobody judges you, because nobody is watching. As you’re watching him, enjoy it, because he is enjoying it. He can enjoy his craft. If he wants to celebrate, that’s fine.”

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Two letters to the editor written to The Charlotte Observer have asserted that Newton was setting a bad example to children because of his celebrations and because he recently became a father in an unwed relationship.

The letters have been criticized for appearing to be racially charged.

Sherman said he grew up rooting for Warren Moon of the Houston Oilers because “there weren’t a lot of (black quarterbacks) back then."

And because Sunday’s matchup features Newton and Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, both of whom are black, Sherman viewed it as significant progress that it’s not a major storyline.

“I think it’s awesome,” Sherman said. “(Newton) is in the running for MVP. It’s awesome how the league has changed in that way. There’s a lot of different kinds of quarterbacks out there – black, white, whatever – and I don’t think it has always been that. There’s always been kind of a knock on black quarterbacks, ‘They only can run, they only can do this, they can’t throw from the pocket, they can only do play-actions,’ and things like that. That rhetoric is changing a little bit.”

Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.