Why did Richard Sherman's wife dial 911? Harrowing call leads to arrest without bail
Richard Sherman, the former Seattle Seahawks cornerback was taken into custody early on July 14. The NFL star, now a free agent, was arrested after he drove his car into a construction site and then attempted to break into his in-law's house in the suburb of Redmond, Seattle. However, in the lead-up to those events, it appears Sherman's wife Ashley Moss was the first to dial 911, crying for help.
Sherman joins several notable NFL stars in police custody, as the league is facing a PR crisis. In January, the Seahawks were left red-faced after Chad Wheeler was arrested for strangling his girlfriend. Former player Travis Rudolph was arrested in April for allegedly being involved in a shooting in Florida, that killed one person. In late June, Kansas City Chiefs DE Frank Clark was arrested for the second time this year, reportedly for illegally possessing a firearm.
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Sherman's tale is also filled with dramatic moments that have quickly caught the attention of fans. One of the biggest details to come from the arrest is that Sherman was suicidal, based on his wife's 911 call. The shocking call reveals the extent of the situation, shortly before he was arrested.
Is Richard Sherman suicidal?
"I need officers to my house now. My husband is drunk," Sherman's wife Ashley Moss can be heard telling the 911 operator. "He's being aggressive, he's threatening to kill himself, he's sending text messages to people saying he's going to hang himself," Moss continued. The call was first made public by KIRO radio, Reportedly, Moss also pleaded Sherman not to drive away, but he does so. According to Moss, Sherman had drunk an entire bottle of vodka and Hennessey before threatening to commit suicide.
Moss also told the dispatcher, "He's saying that if the police show up -- please don't shoot is what I'm asking. He said if the police show up, he'll try to fight them." It appears as if the whole incident stemmed from Sherman's drinking. He did not go through with his threats to commit suicide, and it is likely the statements and texts were made under the influence. We could not find any previous stories of Sherman threatening suicide, so this appears to be a one-off associated with his alcohol consumption.
Following the call, Sherman drove off in his SUV. He then hit a concrete barrier at an active construction zone, which led workers to call 911 as well. According to reports, Sherman then left his SUV at the site and walked to his in-law's house. Before he could gain entry though, he was stopped by police and taken into arrest after initially resisting. Reportedly, Sherman was subdued with a K-9 unit, and taken to hospital as a result before being arrested.
Sherman was booked on a domestic violence burglary charge and is being held without bail as is standard procedure in Washington. He will appear in front of a judge on Thursday, July 15. On social media, people appear to be furious at the behavior of the dispatcher. At several points during the four-minute interaction with Moss, the dispatcher can be heard being combative and argumentative. "Listen to me! I'm handling this! You need to stop telling me that!" she said at one point. At another point, she said, "You need to stop interrupting me so I can get the information I need."
It is unclear at the moment if Sherman received any mental health guidance following his arrest. The NFL Players Association said in a short statement, "We were made aware of an arrest last night of one of our player leaders for an alleged domestic violence incident and have activated our domestic violence crisis protocol for the protection and support of everyone involved."