Seattle’s never seen an athlete like brash, brainy Richard Sherman. The leader of the Seahawks “Legion of Boom” secondary, Sherman is confident enough to trash-talk Tom Brady, talented enough to be a top-five NFL cornerback, media-savvy enough to amass 146,000 Twitter followers, caring enough to organize a wildly successful celebrity benefit softball game, and annoying enough to get punched in the face by an opposing player. Not since Gary Payton has Seattle had a sports star with Sherman’s personality—a guy other teams’ fans love to hate. But while Payton mistrusted reporters (and on at least one occasion tried to punch one), Sherman uses the media as a megaphone for psychological warfare. Before a matchup with Lions’ star wideout Calvin Johnson, known as “Megatron,” Sherman changed his Twitter handle to “Optimus Prime.” A slew of attention followed, and Johnson had just three catches and dropped a sure touchdown. While Russell Wilson is the most popular Seattle athlete, beloved league-wide for his aw-shucks personality and unflagging sportsmanship, Sherman has a light and a dark side—an Anakin Skywalker to Wilson’s Luke —that make him a more compelling figure.