Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman was confident that his suspension for a failed drug test would be lifted, he said Friday during an appearance on "NFL AM."
"Yeah, of course I thought I was going to win," Sherman said on the NFL Network show. "I've never taken anything. Going into it, I was surprised when I got the news about a positive test. I had faith the whole time I would win it and hoped the truth would eventually come out."
Sherman won his appeal after it was discovered there was a problem with the handling of the sample. The tester poured the sample into another cup after the original leaked. He did not include the issue in his report, the Associated Press reported, and NFL executive Bob Wallace said "insuring a sample is collected properly is the cornerstone of the program."
Sherman insisted he didn't win the appeal because of a technicality.
"I was innocent. I was innocent to begin with," Sherman said. "That's why they have the chain of custody because it can help when people make mistakes like this. They can pour your urine into a used cup, and this is the kind of thing that can clear it up and make sure your name gets cleared. I appreciate that.
"Without that, the guy could have did anything and just ruined my reputation and nobody would have been any the wiser."
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"I have no idea," Sherman said. "It might have been just me being a fifth-rounder, a nobody, a no-name. Sometimes it seems like -- you play well, you don't play well -- it doesn't seem to matter because you don't have the big name and it's going to hurt you.
"Definitely makes (the chip on my shoulder) a little bigger."
Unfortunately for Sherman, doubts will remain. You'd think the tester would be smart enough not to compromise the sample -- especially with a used cup. (Try not to visualize this process as the tester holds a leaky cup.)
Regardless, Sherman is innocent until proven guilty and the appeals process worked.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
