The View from Section 333

With preseason just around the corner, I’m more than a little giddy at the thought of putting my butt back in my seat in Section 333! Hot weather… Tank tops and shorts… The smell of Seahawk Dogs and garlic fries… Cold beer… Sunglasses… Attitude… and a full battery on my phone so I can tweet to my peeps!

There’s just something about the beginning of season… other than the marked contrast of handwarmers, parkas, scarves and wool socks at the end of the season!

There’s excitement, speculation, hopes, dreams, fantasies, wishes… all the possibilities of what might be are there in the first preseason game. It’s a sideline crowded with players, oozing ambition. It’s questions, but no answers (yet)! Who will stay and who will go? Who will pan out? Who’s better than we thought? Who’s challenging for snaps? Who’s shifted positions? Who’s holding out? Who arrived out of shape? Who has a bum ankle but we hope we keep them anyway? Who had trouble in the off season?

This year, unfortunately, when we talk trouble in the off season, we’re talking about Marshawn’s arrest for DUI. This bothers me for a few reasons:

•  Over the last two years, Marshawn has been a role model/hero. There’s no denying the impact he’s had, not only on our offense, but on team/fan morale.

•  Being a role model/hero doesn’t grant you clemency. Especially since the league’s grand poobah has been very clear about his guidelines for player conduct.

I think it will come as no surprise that Marshawn will serve a suspension for this arrest. I hate to see it because I really felt that coming to Seattle and becoming BeastMode and making an impact really gave Marshawn a chance to live down his previous indiscretions and live up to his potential. The Skittles in the endzone were all the sweeter because Marshawn was living a success story. Seeing him do a part in a movie, seeing him model our jersey on the side of the stadium, seeing him do charity work for kids in Oakland, those were roles I was glad to see him take on and enjoy.

Now, neither Marshawn nor I will enjoy the repercussions for this arrest. But maybe the penalty along with successes of the last 2 years will help Marshawn see the truth. That being successful is a year round job… a lifelong job. That all of the privilege and accolades of success on the field still require maintenance off the field. That even if no one is looking, you should still act as if they are. Because if you slip, if you do the wrong thing, if you get caught… everyone and their brother will know.  And they’ll remember you for everything you ever did wrong instead of everything you ever did well.