Russell Wilson's recent comments about Pete Carroll ring extremely hollow

Wilson recently spoke about his relationship with former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.
Abbie Parr/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit

Obviously, things have not gone well for Russell Wilson in the past two seasons. After he accidentally forced his way out of playing for the Seattle Seahawks in the offseason of 2022, Wilson had a putrid year for his new team, the Denver Broncos, which included a season-opening loss to Seattle. In 2023, Wilson's raw statistics were mostly better but he found himself benched by head coach Sean Payton at the end of the season.

Of course, Pete Carroll has not exactly had the best of times lately either. His Seattle team went to the playoffs the season after Wilson was traded to Denver, but Seattle failed to make the postseason this year. Carroll was relieved of his coaching duties after the season and currently works in some kind of advisory position for the organization.

On a recent episode of the I Am Athlete podcast, Wilson spoke about his time with the Seahawks and playing for Carroll. But some - or maybe much - of what he said seemed false. 12s know the truth of what happened just before Wilson became a Bronco. The quarterback had gone to Seahawks chairperson Jody Allen in an attempt to have Carroll and general manager John Schneider fired. Instead, Seattle fired Wilson.

Former Seahawks QB Russell Wilson's words ring false when he speaks about Pete Carroll

But to hear Wilson spin his relationship with Carroll on I Am Athlete, one might think the organization and the player had a mutual parting of ways. Wilson said, "We've always had a good relationship. He was like a father figure to me. So I never understood why people were trying to tear it down...I got no hate in my heart. Just love."

But why would Wilson even think of the phrase having "hate" in his heart? After all, while Seattle did trade Wilson this was in a direct response to trying to have the people that made the move fired before they would have had a chance to. Not that anyone should hate anyone else, but if anyone could still harbor anger about the situation it is Carroll and Schneider.

Also, while Wilson says Carroll was like a "father figure," how many sons do you know try to get their fathers fired so that the son could have more power where the two work? Wilson's words imply he simply will never understand how self-serving he is and how he wants to make an impression that he helps others but he truly only wants to make himself look better. This is the kind of thing that many fans find excessively irritating.

I mentioned above that Wilson "accidentally" forced his way out of playing for the Seahawks because his intent was to stick with the organization but to have Carroll and Schneider leave. He did not understand that his words and actions might have repercussions for him beyond what he wanted. Maybe one day Russell Wilson will be able to see himself how others see him and then he will truly be grateful for how he was treated in Seattle.

Read more from 12th Man Rising

manual