Angry, boastful and disrespectful in more ways than one.

No, this isn’t your average thug. This is Seattle Seahawks cornerback and the new lightning rod of sports media, Richard Sherman.

By now, most people have seen or at least heard of his antics during his postgame interview from Sunday’s NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers.

And before you skip the rest of this column, take shelter in the fact that I’m not here to feed you my opinion on how terrible of a person Sherman is. In fact, I think Sherman’s tirade serves as something positive, a guide on what not to do when confronted by sports media.

Athletes, take note. What the Seattle star did is the exact opposite of how you should act around the media.

First, let me say that I understand trash-talking. I understand the emotions that come with playing your heart out and I understand getting fired up about the win. But athletes need to have some resemblance of composure during the game, not just irate screaming about nonsense.

Take this to heart, Wildcats, because the last thing you want to do is paint a poor picture of yourself with the media. The media’s job is to portray you to the public, and when you act poorly around them, you will undoubtedly develop a bad reputation among the common people.

There’s a reason no one talks about the picture of Sherman hugging Fox News Channel reporter Erin Andrews after the game. It’s because the bigger story is him losing his mind with a reporter on live television.

Please, don’t let that be you.

Also, it should be noted that I personally have never had any issues with Wildcat athletes when conducting interviews. Every ’Cat I’ve had the pleasure of talking to has been just that — a pleasure.

Just let this be a reminder of what to do with the media. I know we may bug you from time to time. We are sorry, it’s just our job. I know we may try to get a word in at the wrong times. Again, we apologize.

But leave those emotions on the field. Don’t blow up in the middle of an interview. Don’t earn an ugly reputation with the public.

Don’t be Richard Sherman.

Nick Woodard can be reached at [email protected] or @nwoodard25 on Twitter.