Stanton On . . . Let Russ Leave

By Rick Stanton

The last time I attended a Seahawks game, it seemed like most fans were hammered in varying degrees. And along with too much to drink, too many of them were at the crossroads of Violence and Stupidity.

I get caring about your team and the vicarious nature that comes with it. But here we are. More than 500,000 people are dead from the pandemic, hundreds of thousands more are soon to follow, and we have this uncharacteristically petulant football player—making $35 million a year—acting like he’s being wronged!

From the day he showed up, there was something about Russell Wilson that was disingenuous. For those of us of a certain age, the character Eddie Haskell from “Leave It To Beaver” comes to mind.

He’s always been too nice. And now? Perhaps we’re seeing behind the curtain or façade, as it were.

Over the years, I’ve grown sour on professional sports. Most pro athletes are overpaid for what they do, and yet we keep buying $15 beers.

There’s no question Russ is a good QB, and I admire the work and time he devotes to Children’s Hospital and other things he does for the community.

But Dude … you make $35 mill a year!

I remember years ago, watching an interview with an NBA basketball player while the player’s union was on strike. I recall him saying something about how he might have to sell one of his Rolls Royce’s if the strike went on for too long. This while wearing a mink coat that went down to his ankles.

The pro sports business model is broken.

Now, Golden Boy Russ is airing his laundry in a not-so-subtle way by “hinting” he wants out, while throwing his offensive line under the proverbial bus. You know, the guys who kept him from being killed last season.

And did I mention that he’s among the league leaders of the QBs who hold onto the ball too long?

There’s this thing in football called the “look out block.” Said linemen “miss” their blocks, while yelling “look out” back to the QB. You now have a pissed off 350-pound defensive lineman, with bad intentions, blocking out the sun. Oops. Sorry man.

My suggestion to Russ: find a $35 million dollar a year gig in something no-contact, like driving a taxi or running a 7-11.

I’m sick and tired of this BS. Trade him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Haskell

Pub Note: Rick’s rant inspired me to write this ditty:

Where Did Our Russ Go?

Has anyone else wondered
Where our Russell Wilson went?
The one we’re reading about now
Is some strange malcontent!

Our Russ was always kind to a fault
And never shifted the blame,
No matter how the score turned out,
No matter how big the game.

Our Russ was never known to have
Any grievances with the team,
And he ended every interview
With his usual “Go Hawks” theme.

His weekly visits to Children’s
And many other civic good deeds
Endeared our Russ to this city
More than any athlete he succeeds.

And is this the same Russell Wilson
Who’s now an owner of the Sounders.
And is in other do-good groups
In which he’s one of the founders?

How can it be that the Russ we loved
Could be named NFL Man of the Year
At the same that he’s being pictured
In four other football teams’ gear?

Something weird is going on here,
A transformation I can’t abide:
This switch from the good Dr. Jekyll
To the scheming Mister Hyde.

Was he always being disingenuous
And just putting on a big act
To gain him the fame and fortune
That now has come to be fact?

Why now, after years of being sacked,
Has that become a bone of contention?
And why is his holding onto the ball
Not given at least equal mention?

I don’t have any of these answers
But I know one thing for sure.
The Russell Wilson we’re seeing now
Cannot for long endure.

—Larry Coffman • March, 2021