Richard Sherman hails Peyton Manning "class"

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has praised the "class" that Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning displayed following his side's Super Bowl defeat on Sunday.

Manning was on the end of a fair amount of criticism for his performance in the match, and Sherman took to Twitter later that night to defend the five-time NFL MVP.

Sherman was forced off in the fourth quarter of the contest with a high ankle sprain, and he revealed that Manning approached him afterwards to ensure that he was not too badly hurt.

"When I was limping up to my press conference and trying to make it up the stairs, somebody taps me on the shoulder and extends their hand and asks if I'm all right," Sherman told ESPN.

"My eyes try to make it up to see who it is, and it's Peyton, fully dressed in a suit and obviously very concerned about my well-being.

"You know, after a game like that, biggest stage ever - to ask how you're doing and really be generally concerned about an opponent, that shows an incredibly different amount of humility and class."

Sherman went on to praise Manning even further, describing him as a "living legend".