Getty Russell Wilson offered his thoughts about receiving a rude welcome back to Seattle.
Russell Wilson received a mixed reaction from Seattle Seahawks fans, but the boos were evident throughout the Monday Night Football showdown. After the Broncos’ loss to the Seahawks, Wilson emphasized his love for Seattle while adding that he “didn’t waver” despite the adverse environment.
“I think that more than anything else, for me personally, I didn’t waver,” Wilson explained during his September 13, 2022 press conference. “They may cheer for you, they may boo you. They’ll love you one day, and they’ll hate you the next. That’s sports.
“At the end of the day, I’m going to keep competing, I’m going to keep battling. I know who I am. First of all, I think for me, I’m just grateful God’s given me the chance to play this game to sit here in front of you guys and say it’s all for His glory and His glory alone. It’s not for anybody else’s. I play for an audience of one.”
Carroll on Wilson Getting Booed: ‘Our Fans Competed in Spectacular Fashion’
Russ showing nothing but love for Seattle after the Week 1 loss.
Prior to the season opener, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll stopped just short of encouraging fans to boo Wilson citing a commitment to compete. After the Seahawks pulled off the upset, Carroll praised the 12s noting they “competed in spectacular fashion.”
“Really, I didn’t know, and I was wondering how they would respond figuring that they probably would respond in a way that [would] try to make it as hard as possible on the other guy because they want to win,” Carroll detailed during his September 12 press conference. “That’s what competing is and our fans competed in spectacular fashion tonight. This was amazing, an amazing place to be tonight right from the get go.”
Wilson on Reception: ‘Anybody Who Thinks Any Other Words They Don’t Know My Heart’
Cascading boos in Seattle before Russell Wilson’s first NFL snap for anyone other than the Seahawks.
Never heard the booing this intense and constant for anyone on here. @thenewstribune
Despite Wilson being the storyline of the Week 1 matchup, it was Geno Smith and the Seahawks defense that impressed in primetime. Wilson attempted to set the record straight about his affinity for Seattle.
“I think that for me, Seattle’s been amazing for me,” Wilson explained. “Like I said, anybody who thinks any other words they don’t know my heart, and they don’t know how much this city has meant to me. From all the kids I’ve met, to building our school here, to all the games we’ve won here. All the special times, [I’m] forever grateful for it.”
Some Within the Seahawks Viewed Wilson as a Declining Player
Our ride continues. t.co/gp12Njlcvd
Since the blockbuster trade, both sides have blamed the other for what became an inevitable breakup. One Seahawks front office source told ESPN’s Brady Henderson that the team viewed Wilson as a declining player.
“‘So those two things,'” a source in the Seahawks’ front office told Henderson. “‘A declining player and then what the ask was going to be the next time, which would have been his third time. It’s like, ‘No, let’s play really good defense, let’s run the s*** out of the ball. That’s how we won a world championship.’ That’s what we’ve kept going back to.'”