Report: Rams, Seahawks coaches had confrontation over Cooper Kupp in Week 16

Cooper Kupp has long been a beloved player in Los Angeles but after he was cut by the Rams, he joined the rival Seattle Seahawks as a free agent. That gave him a chance to not only return home, but also face his former team twice a year.

In their second meeting of the season, Rams and Seahawks coaches nearly got into a skirmish in an elevator at Lumen Field over Kupp. Mike Silver of The Athletic detailed the incident in a story after the Seahawks’ win over the Rams on Sunday night, recounting what he called “a near elevator brawl” in December following Kupp’s fumble against the Rams.

The two coaching staffs took a shared elevator from the booths upstairs down to the field, which is when they got into a shouting match.

According to several witnesses, the fallout from that play sparked a confrontation between Rams and Seahawks coaches as they spilled out of their upstairs boxes at half’s end and took a shared elevator ride to field level.

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The witnesses said several Rams assistants were discussing the fumble in question as they neared the elevator. 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.

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The drew the ire of Seahawks outside linebackers coach Chris Partridge, whose enraged response caused Rams defensive pass rush coordinator Drew Wilkins to yell back at him. Partridge, witnesses said, had to be held back by other Seahawks coaches in the packed elevator, averting a possible skirmish.

Silver reports that players found out about the tussle and “became motivated to defend Kupp’s honor.” The Seahawks, of course, went on to win that game in overtime and took control of the NFC West, which they never relinquished the rest of the way.

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Kupp didn’t put up eye-popping numbers in his first season with the Seahawks, but he played a pivotal role in their win in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday. He scored the Seahawks’ final touchdown that gave them an 11-point lead, and also converted a key third-and-7 on their clock-killing drive at the end of the game.

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