There has been a lot of discussion in the media recently leading up to the Super Bowl about Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. His post game interview with Erin Andrews after the Seahawks captured the NFC title was initially called "unsportsmanlike".

Later it was later referred to by some in the media and on social media as "thug-like".

I began to reflect on what constitutes "thug"-like behavior in modern day America; as well as in sports specifically.

When I grew up, thugs were real gangsters. They were those individuals behind organized crime; most notably the Mafia. They were responsible for illegal trading, espionage, organized beatings/assassinations, etc. "The Godfather" and later HBO series such as the Soprano's, The Wire or Boardwalk Empire personified the archetype of true gangsters. These shows captured the brutality of mob beatings, shootings, running rackets and abusing woman, alcohol and everything else in between.

Then there is football itself with its uber masculinity and propensity for trash talking that seems to be such an integral part of the game for the players as well as some of the fans. That is evidenced by the Seattle Seahawks fans themselves and their well known 12th MAN. Seattle's fans are known as the loudest in the NFL, so much so that the league instituted a noise rule in 1985. Despite the rule, the 12th MAN continued the tradition, often giving the Seahawks a home field advantage to this day. So was Richard Sherman, whom many consider to be one of football's great cornerbacks post game interview persona, not in line with that Seattle tradition?

I reflected on the culture of the NFL, which has come under scrutiny recently for behaviors exhibited by some of its players that in other fields of work would be deemed totally unacceptable, and in many instances downright illegal. An incident that immediately came to mind was that of Miami Dolphins Richie Incognito's whose use of racist and homophobic language towards rookie Jonathon Martin is currently under investigation, yet Incognito , (who by the way is white), and who's behavior has not been called "thuggish' and was nominally described as hazing, or bullying at most .

So why in this context was the word "thug' so powerful and so loaded I wondered?

I have to admit that I was unfamiliar with Richard Sherman's bone fides prior to this incident as I had my New England Patriots blinders on, so I did some research and that led me to some very interesting facts about this young man. He grew up in Compton, California where in high school he starred in football and track and field. With the support of his parents he went on to be described as a scholar-athlete; he was Salutatorian (ranked second) in his high school graduating class and was accepted to Stanford University ,which is one of the nation's most prestigious universities. He graduated from Stanford with a 3.9 cumulative grade average, and is working on a master's degree in communication from Stanford as well. Unlike others in the NFL he has never been arrested or had run in's with the law.

One is left to ask the question would it have mattered if he had not gone to Stanford and if so why that should make a difference.

Sherman in subsequent interviews since the "incident" has said that for him the term "thug" was a racially coded epithet that he felt did not apply to him.

He explained:

"The only reason it bothers me is that it seems like it's the accepted way of calling people the n-word nowadays. ... What's the definition of a thug, really? Can a guy on the football field, just talking to people - maybe I'm talking loudly, or doing something I'm not supposed to be. But there was a hockey game where they didn't even play hockey, they just threw the puck aside and started fighting. I saw that and I thought, 'Oh man, I'm a thug?' So I'm really disappointed in being called a thug."

The late poet and rapper Tupac Shaker defined a thug as someone who is going through struggles, has gone through struggles, and continues to live day by day with nothing for them. That person is a thug. And the life they are living is the thug life. Legendary poet Nikki Giovanni even has 'thug life" tattooed on her forearm as a tribute to the late rapper and as a reflection on the reality of life for so many of our young people who are trapped without options but continue to persevere.

So I am still left to ponder what constitutes "thug like" behavior in our current context, is it overcoming significant odds, and persevering and doing so with bravado and a bit of esprit? Is it the "gangster like" behavior personified on television shows that capture our attention? Is it watching a US Congressman on television threaten to " break a reporter in two" and throw him over the railings" of the US Capitol after being asked a question that he, the congressman did not want to respond to following the State of the Union address.

Richard Sherman has written a regular column for The MMQB since July. His column the morning after the NFC title game-'To Those Who Would Call Me a Thug or Worse ...'-can be viewed here says it best :

"Race played a major part in how my behavior was received, but I think it went beyond that. Would the reaction have been the same if I was clean-cut, without the dreadlocks? Maybe if I looked more acceptable in conservative circles, my rant would have been understood as passion. These prejudices still play a factor in our views because it's human nature to quickly stereotype and label someone. We all have that".

Yes, I will be tuned in like billions of others this Sunday night to watch this quasi gladiator activity we call the Superbowl, and I will be watching Richard Sherman with new found interest respect and and information.