Who is Ashley Moss? How Richard Sherman's wife once helped Bucs CB make $1 million
Richard Sherman has his wife, Ashley Sherman (previously Moss), to thank for his $1 million windfall after putting a clause into the veteran cornerback’s contract. The clause was a $1 million bonus should Sherman make the Pro Bowl that year and it would be added to his contract.
Sherman had his NFL career put on hold to an extent because of several injuries. He was looking for a fresh start with the San Francisco 49ers while the franchise wanted to reduce the risk of signing a player who had a history of getting injured. While Sherman did have a superb year in which he was named to the Pro Bowl, he could not get his 49ers team into the Super Bowl.
Richard Sherman's 49ers contract, which he negotiated himself (and with the help of his wife) has $4m in incentives per season. He's now locked in all $4m.
$1 million 90% playtime incentive: Awarded.
$1 million Pro Bowl incentive: Awarded.
$2 million All-Pro incentive: Awarded.
The 33-year-old veteran spoke to NBC Sports about negotiating the contract that saw the Pro Bowl clause added. Sherman said,
“[The 49ers] wanted some security and we wanted some security and they were like ‘If you’re the player that we know you are then it’ll work out. The incentives will come into play and you’ll make the money you deserve to make.’ But I said ‘If I do that I still won’t have any security for the next year.’ And my wife was like ‘Well, why don’t you just make the Pro Bowl and the things that trigger him to get those incentives, guaranteeing his next year’s deal? Because if he’s making the Pro Bowl or he’s making All-Pro, it means he’s playing like the player you guys thought he was, and it should work out perfectly.”
So perhaps Sherman’s wife could change her career and become an NFL agent after this negotiation.
Who is Ashley Sherman?
After dating for several years, Richard and Ashley got married in 2018 in the Dominican Republic at a hotel called the Hard Rock Punta Canta. Several of Sherman’s Seattle Seahawk teammates in Brandon Browner, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor all attended the pair's wedding, while Ashley took to social media and said she married her best friend. Ashley said,
“I married my best friend surrounded by the people who love us most. Couldn’t have imagined a better way to share this moment as we begin a new chapter in my our lives.”
Can we take a moment to appreciate Earl Thomas’ outfit during this #Seahawks LOB reunion at Richard Sherman’s wedding. Seahawks for sure gotta pay that man. instagram.com/p/Bg7Ht_7j-VG/ https://t.co/kTg8kVtyD5
The 49ers Super Bowl matchup against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs was Sherman’s first as a dad since the pair's first child, Rayden, was born just after the Seahawks loss to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in 2015.
Sherman spoke to the LA Times about what his motivation was to get back to the NFL’s biggest game. He said,
“That [being a father] really motivated me to get back to a Super Bowl because I wanted him [Rayden] to be able to see me play. That’s the coolest part about it. I play to make him proud. It really gives you something to fight for. He fully understands things. He knows what’s going on. It will be a special memory and something we’ll remember forever, if we’re able to get it done.”
Many athletes play for a variety of different reasons. Some play for fame or money while others play for the love of the game. However, for Richard Sherman, it is clear that his biggest motivation to play NFL football is to make his kids and family proud.
One thing is for certain, he has certainly done that as he is one of the best cornerbacks to ever play in the NFL.