January 19 marked the day where I stopped caring about the current football season, or so I thought.

As a San Francisco 49ers fan, when the Seahawks’ cornerback Richard Sherman tipped the ball away from Michael Crabtree, I walked out of the room and fell face-first into my bed. For the third year in a row, the Niners showed great promise and the game ended in heartbreak.

Unluckily for me, my bedroom also had the game on. Moments later, Erin Andrews was out on the field interviewing Richard Sherman. In a split second, the end of the game went from celebrating a great play on Sherman’s part to criticizing his post-game actions.

Sherman responded to Andrews asking about the final play by yelling into the microphone about being matched up with a “sorry receiver.” He continued to yell about Crabtree.

Since, Sherman has been justly fined nearly $8,000 for taunting and unsportsmanlike conduct after the play, which was unrelated to the interview, according to NFL.com. Not only did Sherman go after Crabtree, but he flashed a “choke” sign at Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Yes, Sherman went to Crabtree in what could be seen as a sportsmanlike manner and gave his ass a smack before offering him a handshake after a hard-fought game.

Yes, Crabtree shoved Sherman away.

However, there is a difference between sportsmanship and taunting.

With his heightened emotions after having the game tipped away from him, it should come as no surprise when Crabtree rejected a handshake from the person who got a hand between him and a touchdown.

Not the classiest move, but forgivable.

However, nothing excuses Sherman’s post-game actions.

The second player who pushes someone is always the one caught in game and penalized. That has never been fair, but this time Sherman was the one fined for his actions; Crabtree merely reacted.

Not only did Sherman taunt Crabtree and Kaepernick, but he took away from the spotlight of his team to attack Crabtree verbally in an interview.

Calling Crabtree a “sorry” receiver is ludicrous.

Crabtree, who missed most of the regular season and has been nothing short of clutch since his return, kept the Niners drive alive when they needed it the most and nearly caught a game-winning touchdown pass.

On Jan. 28, Sherman apologized, releasing a short statement that ended with, “You don’t have to put anybody else down to make yourself bigger.”

The thing is, he should have been fined for his outbursts, not just the taunting. Anyone can come back and apologize after getting a ton of backlash, but a true sportsman should not act in a manner where he would have to.

Sherman had one memorable play in the NFC Championship, granted it was the biggest play of the game. I’ve never been able to stand either Manning brother, but after Sherman’s outburst I’ll proudly stand behind Peyton on his way to winning Super Bowl XLVIII.