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Richard Sherman's next challenger: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Published: Jun 14, 2015 at 08:46 AM

The good news: No NFL cornerback has publicly challenged Richard Sherman in the last 72 hours. The bad news: This changes if you open up the field to decorated NASCAR drivers.

Our latest adventure in Sherman Baiting began innocently enough. On Friday, Sherman sent out the following tweet at the conclusion of the Seahawks' offseason program:

I’m more convinced than ever that NO athletes have to be more mentally prepared than football players. Back me up 12’s!
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) June 12, 2015

The statement led, naturally, to spirited social media debate. Many "12s" (these are Seahawks fans for the uninitiated) got behind their star cornerback while plenty others shared their disagreement. One of those dissenting opinions came from none other than Dale Earnhardt Jr., the two-time Daytona 500 winner and son of the "The Intimidator".

Sure about that @RSherman_25? 43 racecar drivers at 200mph inches from each other takes it to a whole new level. https://t.co/uUBCRf5gmV
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) June 12, 2015

Earnhardt inadvertently opens up an entirely separate debate about where race car drivers fit in the spectrum of professional athletes. I will withhold my opinion for fear of violent retribution. Please share your thoughts on NFL vs. NASCAR in the comment section. Be nice to each other.

The latest Around The NFL Podcast welcomes Jeff Darlington to discuss minicamp stories, and Conor Orr calls in for the debut of a new segment. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.

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