Seahawks’ Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett Deny ESPN Report Claiming Rift With Russell Wilson

Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett have vehemently denied a recent ESPN article that alleged they and other Seattle Seahawks defenseman still hold a grudge against Russell Wilson for throwing the interception that lost the team a Super Bowl two years ago.

Michael Bennett, Richard Sherman Slam ESPN Piece about rift with Russell Wilson

The story, written by ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, focused particularly on Sherman. Wickersham claimed the cornerback shouted “You f—ing suck!” at Wilson after intercepting the quarterback during practice in June 2014, eight months before the Seahawks lost to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. Wilson was intercepted by Malcolm Butler in the end zone in the final seconds of that Super Bowl, which the Patriots won.

The ESPN article also alleged that some of the Seahawks players occasionally became frustrated that Wilson never received criticism from head coach Pete Caroll, who is know for being one of the most congenial coaches in the league.

“Its just a bunch of nonsense from ‘anonymous’ sources,” Sherman said of the story in an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio. “Can never put much gravity of things like that.”

Bennett, meanwhile, shared the article on Twitter and called it “trash” and “gossip.” The defensive end also called Wilson a “great teammate and friend and even better human” in a separate tweet.

Wickersham also claimed a Seahawks assistant coach criticized Sherman for blaming other players and coaches on the team for their failures instead of taking some responsibility himself.

“He’s always looking at what other people are doing,” the assistant reportedly told Wickersham of Sherman. “He’s made it personal. It’s your fault we’re not winning. It wears guys thin.”

“It galls the defense to hear Wilson, ever positive, stand behind a podium and insist that the offense ‘made some great plays’ after games in which the Seahawks barely score — and then be propped up as if he were Aaron Rodgers,” Wickersham wrote.

Sherman has gained a reputation for being a loud and expressive player, having excitedly yelled at sideline reporters after games to show how thrilled he was after making a big stop. Some reports even began calling the cornerback a “thug,” though the Seahawks insisted Sherman is simply a very high-energy NFL star — who reportedly had a 3.9 GPA at Stanford.