Thursday’s Mashup: Richard Sherman joined 49ers over Lions to avoid ‘the Patriot Way’

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THURSDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:NBA: Golden State at Boston, 8 p.m. (NBCSB, TNT)

AROUND THE WEB: 

-- Richard Sherman is getting ready to play in Super Bowl LIV with the 49ers and it turns out he is there because he rejected “the Patriot Way.”

During free agency before the 2018 season, the Lions offered Sherman more money than the 49ers but Sherman declined the offer partly because former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia was the head coach. 

And Sherman was not interested in playing under “the Patriot Way” Patricia brought with him after 14 years with the Patriots. 

“But that’s not the kind of football I want to play,” Sherman said. “The way you run their scheme, your culture. You want to do it the Patriots’ way and that’s really not the way I do football. I have fun. I like music at practice. I like to hang out and be relaxed in meetings. I don’t like the stressful environment in football. (The Lions) condition every day after practice. My body isn’t built to run all day and night. I’ll be prepared, but I don’t have to be run into the ground.”

Patricia and the Patriots did beat Sherman and the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.

-- Vanessa Bryant has opened up on Instagram for the first time since the deaths of Kobe and Gianna Bryant. 

My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately. There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon. I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever. Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality. To honor our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy. To donate, please go to MambaOnThree.org. To further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org. Thank you so much for lifting us up in your prayers, and for loving Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka, Capri and me. #Mamba #Mambacita #GirlsDad #DaddysGirls #Family ❤️

A post shared by Vanessa Bryant -- (@vanessabryant) on Jan 29, 2020 at 4:59pm PST

“My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them,” Vanessa wrote. “We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.”

"There aren't enough words to describe our pain right now," the statement continues. "I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon."

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Our team has been on it. We have been focused on this. I think it has not been that lengthy of time. We obviously put the focus on it, but we are going to get it right. When we come to a conclusion, we'll certainly make sure that people are aware of it." -- Roger Goodell, on the NFL's investigation into the Patriots' videotaping incident