Sherman: Defacing statue ‘ridiculous’
Shortly before 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman spoke to the media Thursday, he saw the news on social media about a fan defacing Joe Montana’s statue outside Levi’s Stadium on Monday night.
Sherman, asked about the incident, seemed flabbergasted.
“I mean, it’s ridiculous,” he said. “It’s one of the more classless acts you’ll see. Regardless of who your team is and who you cheer for, you don’t vandalize and deface statues and living legends. These guys are legendary. That statue didn’t do anything to you.”
The statue, depicting Montana with his arms raised in triumph, was vandalized shortly after the 49ers’ 2724 loss to Seattle, according to authorities. Santa Clara police announced that Jorge Alberto Lopez of Santa Clara was booked into county jail and charged with felony vandalism.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report about the incident.
KNBR reporter BonnieJill Laflin was sent a video of the incident Thursday morning and posted it on Twitter. The video shows a man jumping up, grabbing the face mask off the statue and pulling it off. The man then staggers backward.
The statue, located in the Gate A plaza of Levi’s Stadium, was quickly repaired.
Williams recognized: Sherman had been lobbying for nickel back K’Waun Williams to earn a spot on the Pro Bowl ballot. That’s exactly what happened: He replaced teammate Ahkello Witherspoon on the ballot.
Witherspoon has missed the past six games with a sprained foot. He was a limited participant in practice Thursday and may return for Sunday’s game against Arizona.
As for Williams gaining recognition, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said, “He’s earned it, he’s worked his tail off and he’s been healthy. I think people are starting to recognize how valuable he is in the slot.”
Injury update: Tight end George Kittle (ankle/knee), wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (ribs), running back Matt Breida (ankle) and kicker Robbie Gould (quadriceps) didn’t practice Thursday. Running back Tevin Coleman missed practice for personal reasons.