Holding wife’s hand, Richard Sherman enters court, pleads not guilty, issues statement
Richard Sherman and his wife Ashley walked into the courtroom holding hands.
They walked out of the courtroom holding hands.
The scenes were reminders that athletes — even a former Seahawks All-Pro Super Bowl champion who has earned $83 million in a superstar career — are people, too. They have problems just like you, I and all of society do.
The news Friday afternoon from Sherman’s second hearing in King County District Court was his pleas of not guilty to five charges stemming from incidents in suburban Redmond early Wednesday: third-degree malicious mischief for domestic violence, driving under the influence and reckless endangerment of roadway workers (gross misdemeanors) plus second-degree criminal trespass for domestic violence and resisting arrest (misdemeanors).
The humanity of the day is what the 33-year-old Sherman said and did two days after his booking into King County Jail. That was following a one-car accident where he allegedly drove impaired through an active construction zone along state Route 520. Then he allegedly attempted to forcibly enter his in-laws’ home at 2 a.m. Police reported his wife was inside, and his father-in-law tried to protect her and his family from Sherman’s repeating charging into a bolt-locked front door by bear-spraying him.
Two and a half hours before the iconic member of Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” secondary walked with his wife into court wearing a gray suit over a black dress shirt and matching face mask, Sherman issued a statement.
Its tone was of remorse, reconciliation and reconstruction. Of his marriage. Of his family. Of his life. His attorney, Cooper Offenbecher, said Sherman is facing “a watershed moment for him.”
“I am deeply remorseful for my actions on Tuesday night,” Sherman wrote on his Twitter account. “I behaved in a manner I am not proud of. I have been dealing with some personal challenges over the last several months, but that is not an excuse for how I acted. The importance of mental and emotional health is extremely real and I vow to get the help I need. I appreciate all of the people who have reached out in support of me and my family, including our community here in Seattle. I am grateful to have such an amazing wife, family and support system to lean on during this time.”
Redmond police officers summoned a K-9 unit to help control a combative — and, police reported earlier in the evening, potentially suicidal — Sherman and arrest him outside his in-laws’ home early Wednesday. After getting treated for a minor cut on his foot at a hospital in nearby Kirkland, he was booked into King County Jail Wednesday at 6:08 a.m.
Thursday, during a first hearing, District Court Judge Fa’amomoi Masaniai denied King County deputy prosecutor Kyle Olson’s request for $10,000 bail. The judge granted Sherman’s release Thursday afternoon, without the need for bail.
“I see Mr. Sherman is a pillar of this community,” Judge Masaniai said Thursday. “He is a business owner. He is a husband. He is a father.
“I am going to release Mr. Sherman on his own promise to return to court.”
Sherman left jail at 5:42 p.m. Thursday.
He appeared in court as promised on Friday at 2 p.m. before King County District Court Judge Lisa Paglisotti. Sherman stood and entered his pleas of not guilty to all five charges.
In Washington, per RCW 9A.20.030, the maximum jail term for a gross misdemeanor is up to 364 days, a maximum fine of $5,000, or both.
Misdemeanors in Washington per the same RCW are punishable by a maximum of 90 days in jail, a maximum fine of $1,000, or both.
The fact this is Sherman’s first involvement with the criminal-justice system — which Offenbecher repeatedly emphasized in court Thursday — likely would be in the unsigned cornerback’s favor in any sentencing should he be found guilty or agree to a plea in the case.
The next court date for Sherman is a pre-trial hearing scheduled for Aug. 13, 8:45 a.m. inside the King County District Courthouse in Redmond. The case will continue to be handled by the King County prosecuting attorney in King County District Court.
This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 3:55 PM.
