Fox News host Geraldo Rivera apologized for calling Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman a “thug,” a concession notable not only for Rivera's acknowledgement that the term had racial connotations but also because of the criticism Rivera faced for applying the term to Trayvon Martin.

Sherman became the target of heavy media criticism following comments he made about San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree in a January 19 post-game interview. As the sports blog Deadspin reported, the media used the term “thug” 625 times the day after Sherman's interview. Sherman later responded to the criticism by pointing out the racial undertones of the word “thug,” arguing that “it seems like it's the accepted way of calling somebody the N-word nowadays.”

On the January 31 edition of Fox & Friends, Rivera highlighted Sherman's comment and apologized for his role in the attacks:

RIVERA: I called Richard Sherman a thug when he ranted about Michael Crabtree. He said the use of the word thug was the new N-word. I pondered that. I have come to agree with Richard Sherman, the Stanford grad. I will never use the word thug in that context again.

Rivera's reversal is particularly noteworthy considering his past use of the term. In March 2012, Rivera came under fire for using the same term in an attack on Trayvon Martin. Rivera suggested that Martin's clothing choice was responsible for his death, saying that “it is reality” that minorities wearing hoodies “could attract the attention, not only of the cops, but of nutjobs apparently like this George Zimmerman.” In July 2013, Rivera doubled down:

RIVERA: You dress like a thug, people are going to treat you like a thug. That's true. I stand by that.