Seattle Seahawks’ Richard Sherman Reveals Super Bowl Winning Spy Tactics to Jimmy Kimmel (Video)

Jimmy Kimmel welcomed NFL champions Richard Sherman and Malcolm Smith to his show Tuesday and was quick to quiz the football stars on how they pulled off the landslide victory in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Ever since they blew out the Denver Broncos 43-8, Sherman has claimed that the Seattle Seahawks defense had figured out quarterback Peyton Manning‘s secret hand signals — and he’s now revealed that they got a little help from their friends. 

“It is a combination of people calling you from other teams, and you figuring things out. It is a lot of different things that go into scouting,” dished the 25-year-old NFL player, who is part of the powerhouse defense dubbed the “Legion of Boom.”

“Is it friends of yours or people who just hate the other team?” asked Kimmel, astounded that there were cross-team discussions before the biggest game of the year.

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“Friends of teammates, friends of other teams. Everyone wants to help you win,” explained the star cornerback, refusing to name names. “No, no, that’s how you lose your sources!” he said coyly. 

When asked by football fanatic Kimmel if he’d ever done the same, Sherman replied: “I have never called, but if they asked, then I definitely would [tell].

“It is in the NFL rule book. It is in the back pages of it. They give it to us, like a ‘help voucher,’ ” he joked. 

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The controversial 6’3″ star caught the attention of the nation two weeks before the Super Bowl not just with his play during a win over the San Francisco 49ers, but also his on-camera rant immediately afterward. 

Fox Sports analyst Erin Andrews asked him about the final play involving a pass intended for 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Sherman had tipped the ball to Smith for the interception in the end zone and yelled: “Well I’m the best corner in the game! 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.”

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Andrews, who was visibly stunned, then asked whom he was talking about, to which Sherman yelled “Crabtree!” The interview was quickly cut short by Fox, but the aftermath went viral with Sherman becoming the target of racial slurs on Twitter and ultimately being fined $7,875 by the NFL for taunting.

On Tuesday, Kimmel broached the subject with his usual bluntness, introducing the infamous clip by saying: “You leapt into our national consciousness with this interview … I didn’t think it was a big deal at all. Why were people so upset?”

“People kind of went soft on us. Back in the day, sports fans used to actually be entertained by sports … the gritty nature and the passion,” claimed Sherman, instead “they wanted us to be robots. It is ball; it is not like I was in a political debate and I just cursed him out and threatened his life.”

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“Have you spoken to Crabtree since then?” asked Kimmel. “Is there any chance you will be calling him and giving him tips on opposing players?”

“No … No!” said Sherman, laughing.

“If I paid for it, would you guys get a couples massage together?” asked the cheeky host. “That is a great question! I would think about it; my back feels kind of tight,” he joked.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! Airs on ABC at 11:35 p.m.