Richard Sherman wasn't one to shy away from in-game altercations during his NFL career, but even the outspoken former cornerback took issue with Draymond Green's actions in the Warriors' defeat Tuesday night at Footprint Center.
After Green's ejection from Golden State's 119-116 loss to the Phoenix Suns for striking Jusuf Nurkić in the face, Sherman expressed his opinion on the incident on Wednesday's episode of "Undisputed" and foresees a lengthy suspension for the Warriors star.
"I think he's going to get suspended 10 games," Sherman told co-hosts Skip Bayless and Keyshawn Johnson. "I'm a Draymond Green fan. I like him, I like the Golden State Warriors and what they've built, but like you said, Key, we can't sit up here and defend this. I don't see a place for this. ...
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"I'm a guy that likes to get under people's skin, that pushed the envelope, that does all this, but you can't just turn around and slap somebody and then say -- now, maybe he didn't do it on purpose ... He knew he was going to hit something, so it's just one of them B.S., kind of bush league moves where you're like, 'Bro, what are you doing?' "
Green was ejected in the third quarter of Tuesday's contest after officials assessed him with a Flagrant 2 foul for swinging at Nurkić and striking him across the face during an inbound play.
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It was Green's third ejection of the 2023-24 NBA season, and the Warriors forward recently was suspended five games for one of those incidents after he put Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold on Nov. 14. Green's promise to be there for the team moving forward came up short Tuesday, and after the game he apologized to Nurkić for the incident he described as unintentional.
"... And like I said, if I intended to do that, then I'd feel awful about not being there [for my team]," Green told reporters. "But my intentions were just to sell the foul and he was, as you can see, moving forward. So as I'm moving back, he's still coming forward. I apologize to Nurkić because I hit him.
"I think you guys have known me long enough, if I intended to do something, I'm not apologizing for it."
Sherman believes Green's on-court antics are being influenced by the Warriors veteran "going through some things" off the court, just based on the former NFL star's own experiences. And in speaking to reporters after the game, Nurkić said Green "needs help."
Bayless, meanwhile, is of the opinion that Green's suspension should be even longer than 10 games.
It remains to be seen what kind of punishment the NBA will hand Green for his latest ejection. But one thing's for certain -- his recent behavior has been anything but good for the Warriors.