Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin has hit out at critics who derided his side's chances of reaching the Super Bowl.
The Seahawks sealed their place in the game for the Vince Lombardi trophy with a miraculous comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers at CenturyLink Field.
Baldwin has lashed out at reporters who claimed that the club had little chance of making the playoffs after they started the season with a 3-3 record.
"Are you ready for this?" Baldwin screamed at reporters. "Are you? How many of you motherfuckers doubted us? How many of you doubted us when we were 3-3? Y'all, I want you to write this down. Write this down, OK?
"When we were 3-3, everyone counted us out. Y'all didn't believe in us. A whole bunch of people thought we weren't going to make it. At 6-4, it was, 'Ah, that's OK. They have a winning record, but they aren't going to make the playoffs.'
"At 16-0 at the half [Sunday], how many of you motherfuckers counted us out? How many of y'all doubted us?"
Pete Carroll's men will defend their Super Bowl crown against the New England Patriots in Glendale on February 1.