Seattle Seahawk Richard Sherman makes magic in Harry Potter costume
The NFL cornerback had the wand, the robe and even the right music. Too bad his team couldn't have put a spell on Steven Hauschka's missed field goal.
Football could benefit from some Harry Potter-style spells and jinxes.
Quarterbacks could shout "STUPEFY!" to prevent an oncoming sack. "IMPEDIMENTA!" would come in handy for running backs heading for the end zone.
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman brought a little Potter magic to Wednesday's team press conference, sporting a Gryffindor robe and school tie, along with a magic wand and Potter-style glasses. He stepped up to the podium to the tinkling notes of the Harry Potter theme song.
It wasn't simply a Halloween costume for Sherman. He knew his stuff.
Sherman and the Seahawks were coming off a tie, a game as rare in the NFL as a hippogriff Patronus in Potter world. That meant the team played a full five quarters of football instead of four.
When asked what was tougher -- Sunday's slugfest with the Arizona Cardinals or Harry's favorite sport -- Sherman again proved he was no wizarding novice. The man knows his Quidditch rules.
"Five quarters of football is pretty tough, but Quidditch -- the beaters, the chasers, trying to find the golden snitch, things like that -- that's tough," Sherman said. Still, he acknowledged a five-quarter football game was probably a little harder.
Sherman also identified "Order of the Phoenix" as his favorite Potter book.
Sherman's fandom didn't go unnoticed by Potter author J.K. Rowling, a Brit for whom "football" is a completely different sport altogether. Someone on the Seahawks' PR staff, quick, get her a "12" jersey.
Hawks fans hope the Potter magic lingers till Sunday, the day before Halloween, when the 4-1-1 Seahawks take on the 2-4 New Orleans Saints in the Superdome. Maybe Sherman can lend some of his magic to quarterback Russell Wilson and use a Confundus charm on the Saints' defense.
