Enough Of The Troubled Seahawks Locker Room Stories
There has been a lot of speculation written about turmoil in the Seahawks locker room the past couple of weeks. For this reason alone, I am thrilled that Seattle will hit the field for their first round of Organized Team Activities tomorrow. There will actually be news to report rather than more wild conjecture of the impending end of the Seahawks.
Let’s assume every word of the troubled locker room story is true. I could provide half a dozen links to these stories, but if you’re interested, you already read them. If you aren’t, the links are pointless. So let’s assume Richard Sherman is still angry about The Call, that he can’t let go, that he yelled at Russell Wilson in camp three years ago – that last one at least is true.
Seahawks held no fire sale for Sherman
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Sherman may very well still be angry about the handoff that never happened. Why shouldn’t he be? You are, aren’t you? Did it destroy your love for the Seahawks? I’d guess that’s a “no”, because you’re reading 12th Man Rising. It’s certainly no secret that both Sherman and the Seahawks were open to a trade. Perhaps his anger over that play helped trigger the discussion. It’s no secret either that John Schneider made it clear that this wasn’t a fire sale, that the Seahawks were motivated to get rid of Sherman.
Speaking to ESPN 710 Seattle the week before the NFL Draft, Schneider said, “The only reasons we would do it is to create some cap room and trying to become a younger football team. But that’s just one option.” You can read exactly what Bob Condotta had to say on the situation in The Seattle Times if you like.
By no means should things be kept quiet
I’m not suggesting that reporters shouldn’t disclose any issues they hear or see. I’m not interested in a return to the Fifties when sports figures got into every sort of trouble imaginable and the media swept it under the rug. In some cases, that rug looked mighty bumpy, but everything was kept out of the public eye.
We’re certainly in a very different era today as there are literally thousands of media outlets. Anyone that has a smartphone is an impromptu stringer. There are few secrets left. Just ask Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin how he feels about smartphones in the locker room. Hint: not a big fan.
Since when is locker room turmoil the end of the world?
Going back to another decade, there was a team in New York City that thrived on turmoil. In fact, this team was referred to as The Bronx Zoo. Granted, Pete Carroll couldn’t be more different than Billy Martin in – well, in every way, so he’s no fan of chaos. The point is, the New York Yankees had players practically trying to kill each other. And they won, a lot.
What Pete is a fan of though is players speaking their mind. He’s a fan of players being honest with their teammates, their coaches, and most of all themselves. Some may call it turmoil looking in from the outside, but I see it as everyone on the team speaking out and clearing the air. I don’t think turmoil is the term for the Seattle locker room. It’s communication. Winners sometimes fight, they sometimes talk. However you want to describe them, the Seahawks are winners.