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'Worst Play Ever!': Seahawks' Pete Carroll Still Defending Patriots' Super Bowl XLIX Interception?

Even eight years and two Super Bowls later for the New England Patriots, the Seahawks' decision to throw the ball on the goal line still resonates in Foxboro and stings in Seattle.

Harrison Reno

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The decision for the Seattle Seahawks to throw the ball on the goal line in Super Bowl XLIX is a play with two sides to the story. For one, it continued a dynasty as the Patriots captured their fourth Lombardi Trophy. Conversely, it still haunts the Seahawks. 

Yet, even eight years after Patriots' cornerback Malcolm Butler put himself in the history books with the interception that sealed the title for New England, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is still defending his controversial decision.

This time, during an appearance on the "Richard Sherman Podcast," he broke down his exact thought process that led to Butler's interception and the meme-worthy reaction from Sherman.

"When we got down there, if I remember it, we had one timeout and so as soon we got there I said, 'One of these plays we're going to have to throw it to get all four plays, ..." Carroll said. "So we run the first play, and I think what happened is [Patriots coach] Bill's [Belichick] late, he sends in the goal-line team, and we had already sent in 11. That went through the play-callers, and that's what led them to throw it on that down. It had nothing to do with anything else.

"We had practiced it a million times. It was just the way we had prepared. So I was rock solid on the philosophy of it. It just was the worst play that could've ever happened."

Carroll is just the latest Seahawk who has opened up on this infamous play, as even former Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch has made his feelings known recently during an appearance on the I AM ATHLETE podcast. 

While it may not be surprising that Carroll is still defending his decision all these years, what may be shocking is that he claimed if the Butler interception never happened not only would it have meant the Seahawks were back-to-back champions, but they would've three-peated the following season.

Although, the same team they beat in Super Bowl XLVII would've surely had something to say about that.

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Harrison Reno
HARRISON RENO

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