Sherman still peeved at Crabtree

ByTerry Blount ESPN logo

Thursday, July 10, 2014

If you think Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has forgotten about his little spat with San Francisco 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree, think again.

Sherman's national television postgame rant, directed at Crabtree, moments after the NFC Championship Game last season became national news. Now he reveals the animosity continues in comments he makes during an appearance on Wednesday night's episode of "American Muscle" (9 p.m. ET on the Discovery Channel), according to USA Today Sports.

"It's not going to be something that goes away," Sherman said on the show, according to USA Today. "I hope to play [Crabtree] every year for the rest of my career and choke him out. There's not much else I can say about the subject. Nobody will understand it but him and me. That's all that needs to [be understood]."

Sherman tipped a pass intended for Crabtree in the end zone in the final seconds of the NFC Championship Game. The tip was intercepted by Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith. It sealed a 23-17 victory for Seattle and sent the Seahawks to the Super Bowl, which they won 43-8 over Denver.

Sherman's tip has come to be known as the Immaculate Deflection, but his postgame comments on the Fox telecast are what many people remember. "I'm the best corner in the game," Sherman screamed. "When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that's the result you're going to get. Don't you ever talk about me."

When Fox reporter Erin Andrews asked him whom he was talking about, he replied, "Crabtree. Don't you open your mouth about the best or I'll shut it for you real quick. L.O.B. [Legion of Boom]."

Sherman's ire at Crabtree dates back to words they exchanged at Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald's charity softball game, which both men attended before the 2013 season.

"It's much more than I don't like the dude," Sherman said on Wednesday's show, according to USA Today. "You know what I'm saying? And I think he's sorry. So it's really what it comes down to. It's just about him. It's just about Crabtree."