The Seahawks seem to be having the ultimate last laugh following their conference championship win over the Rams, as details emerged about a near-rumble between the coaching staffs of the Rams and Seahawks during a week 16 meeting at Luman Field.
The brouhaha started after the Seahawks coaching staff caught Rams staffers seemingly cracking wise about wide receiver Cooper Kupp, according to a report from The Athletic.
Kupp was a beloved player during his days in La La Land before the Rams cut him and he ended up heading north to the Emerald City.
The wide receiver fumbled in the first half of the teams’ Week 16 game and provided the impetus for the altercation between the two coaching staffs as they were in a shared elevator going down from the coaches’ boxes in the upper part of the stadium to field level.
“The witnesses said several Rams assistants were discussing the fumble in question as they neared the elevator,” The Athletic’s Mike Silver wrote. “One offensive coach asked which Seattle player had been responsible, and when another replied that it was Kupp, the coach snickered as though he expected the answer.”
The comment didn’t sit well with Seahawks outside linebackers coach Chris Partridge, “whose enraged response caused Rams defensive pass rush coordinator Drew Wilkins to yell back at him.”
Partridge had to be restrained by other members of the Seahawks coaching staff to avoid the potential altercation.
Word of the incident did make its way into the Seahawks locker room and it generated a feeling among Seahawks players that they wanted to defend Kupp’s honor.
The Seahawks went on to win the game in overtime and Seattle took control of the NFC West.
The Seahawks bested the Rams again on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game as they booked their trip to the Super Bowl in California next month.
Kupp had a touchdown in Sunday’s conference championship win.