Seattle Seahawks & Los Angeles Rams Coaches Nearly Brawled In Elevator Over Cooper Kupp Joke
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
A tense moment between Seahawks and Rams coaches almost turned into a fight during the season, according to a report from The Athletic. The incident happened in an elevator at Seattle’s Lumen Field and started over a joke about wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
The story adds to an already intense rivalry. Kupp left the Rams last season after head coach Sean McVay cut him, a move that surprised many fans. Kupp later joined the Seahawks and became an important part of their Super Bowl run.
The drama came full circle Sunday night. Seattle beat the Rams 31-27 in the NFC Championship Game to reach the Super Bowl. The win gave Kupp one more chance to enjoy a big moment against his former team.
Elevator Exchange Created Sideline Tension
The incident happened during a regular-season game in Week 16 at Lumen Field. Seattle won that game 38-37. Earlier, Kupp fumbled a pass near the end zone, which stopped a Seahawks drive.
According to The Athletic reporter Mike Silver, Rams assistants discussed that play as they approached an elevator at halftime. 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.”
Seahawks outside linebackers coach Chris Partridge heard the comment and got angry. Silver reported, “enraged response caused Rams defensive pass rush coordinator Drew Wilkins to yell back at him”. Other Seahawks coaches stepped in and held Partridge back before things turned physical.
Word of the exchange spread fast. Players inside the Seahawks locker room heard about it during halftime. One Seattle player told The Athletic, “It was kind of a thing in our locker room during halftime.”
Seattle players used that moment as motivation. They rallied in the second half and pulled out a dramatic win. The teams met again with much higher stakes on Sunday.
Cooper Kupp came through again. He scored a touchdown in the NFC Championship game. Jaxon Smith-Njigba also had a big night and finished a strong season. Seattle won the game and took the NFC title. After the game, mic’d-up footage caught a frustrated Matthew Stafford directing a comment at Kupp during postgame handshakes. The moment quickly spread online.
The Rams now head into the offseason with plenty of questions. The Seahawks move on to San Francisco full of confidence and momentum.
