Jeff Pearlman: Erin Andrews Is 'Kardashian Of Televised Sports'

richard-sherman-erin-andrews Sports fans either loved Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman‘s post-NFC Championship Game rant, or they hated it. Not debated as much was the performance of FOX Sports sideline reporter Erin Andrews, who was tasked with talking to Sherman after the game.

Sportswriter Jeff Pearlman has taken the liberty of ripping into Andrews for her reaction to Sherman’s outburst, saying the sideline reporter was a “deer in headlights” and didn’t handle the situation properly.

“She did not know what to do or what to say or how to respond,” he said. “Someone in the control booth clearly told her to send things away from Sherman — and she did. In short, she wasn’t to be trusted with the situation, and FOX’s heads knew it.”

Moments after the game ended, Andrews asked Sherman to talk about the pivotal play he made to seal the game, and that’s when Sherman came with his outburst.

“When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that’s the result you’re going to get,” Sherman said. “Don’t you ever talk about me. Don’t you open your mouth about the best, or I’ll shut it for you real quick.”

Andrews then asked a seemingly appropriate follow-up question.

“Who is talking about you?” she said.

After Sherman responded to that question, FOX’s cameras cut away from the interview, leaving viewers hanging. But in Pearlman’s eyes, Andrews’ “incapability” in interviewing doesn’t have to do with her experience, but rather her looks.

“Erin Andrews has done nothing wrong. She was born pretty, she was a college athlete, she speaks well and she likes sports,” Pearlman said. “If someone wants to pay her huge amounts of money for that, well, so be it. She’s the Kardashian of televised sports — and being a Kardashian has worked out pretty well for the actual Kardashians. The problem comes when something like the Richard Sherman situation arises, and FOX’s sideline star looks overwhelmed and out of her league and lost.”

Andrews said after the interview that Sherman’s response finally gave fans what they wanted — a real look into the mind of a professional athlete, instead of an endless stream of cliches. Andrews said she never felt scared or threatened.