Obama on Richard Sherman: He's 'taking a page out of Muhammad Ali's playbook'

Waukesha, Wisconsin (CNN) - President Barack Obama, an avid sports fan, weighed in on the controversy surrounding Super Bowl-bound Seattle Seahawks' cornerback Richard Sherman, in an interview with CNN.

Sherman's rant following the Seahawks' win over the San Francisco 49ers, a game that earned him a spot in the Super Bowl, caused a brouhaha after he declared he was the best.

"My sense is he's taking a page out of Muhammad Ali's playbook, which is, I think he said explicitly, this is a good way to get attention. In fact, Ali said he got his schtick from wrestlers he used to watch," Obama said in an exclusive interview with CNN's Jake Tapper.

Sherman was ultimately fined more than $7,800 for unsportsmanlike conduct after he made a choking sign at 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

"... I think it's part of the tradition 'let me get some attention.' Obviously, it's worked. I suspect he's going to have a lot more endorsement contracts and more jersey sales after that."

CNN gave the President two options of competitions that we wanted him to weigh in on: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vs. Vice President Joe Biden for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination or the Seattle Seahawks vs. the Denver Broncos in Sunday's Super Bowl.

"I think it's going to be a lot like the Seahawks-49ers game. I think it's going to come down to the last play," Obama said. "...I'm not going to pick because I don't want to offend any of the great cities participating."

Obama also talked about his push for executive action, immigration policy, and NSA reform in his exclusive, far-reaching interview with CNN's Jake Tapper. For more, click here.