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San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman was once the biggest enemy of his current team. Then playing for rivals Seattle Seahawks, Sherman was no stranger into getting into a war of words with his opponents.
In the case of his former 49ers teammate Joe Staley, it's no different.
Speaking on KNBR's Murph and Mac Show early Wednesday, Sherman confessed about his exchanges with the recently retired left tackle when he was lining up on the other side of the field. Per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area:
“We were rivals to the umpteenth degree, Joe doesn't talk a lot on the field but if he was gonna talk, he was gonna talk with me. He's gonna give me his mind. It's not PG. We've had our back and forth over the years,” the 49ers star said of the retired veteran.
Once bitter rivals, sentiments between Staley and Sherman have changed when the 32-year-old defensive back decided to leave Seattle and jump ship to the 49ers.
“Once I got into the locker room as a 49er, his locker was literally across the way from mine,” Sherman said. “He's on one corner, I'm on the other. He came up to me and was like, ‘I used to hate you.'
“It was funny because I think he had a different impression of who I was and as he got to know me it was like, ‘You're just a super competitive dude who wants to do anything to get under people's skin. But when you're on the same team, you're fantastic to be around. “
It seems that the disdain lies within the competition. After becoming teammates with the 49ers and sharing a common goal, both Richard Sherman and Joe Staley have formed a solid friendship. Sherman also mentioned how hard it is to replace an All-Pro left tackle, a void which recently acquired Trent Williams should fill.
Once a thorn to San Francisco's side, Sherman is now one of the key pieces of the 49ers' top-ranked defense. The former Standford Cardinal finished last season earning a Pro-Bowl selection.