Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report gives an in detailed breakdown of what is going on in the Seattle Locker Room and how that affected the decision to trade Percy Harvin.
It appears the root of the problem started with Harvin and Russell Wilson. When there are internal battles between a receiver and quarterback, 99.9% of the time the quarterback is going to win. This was the case in Seattle, but in this report from Freeman there are other players who have problems with Wilson as well.
The main issue some players seem to have with Wilson is they think he’s too close to the front office, which is the same ridiculous thing some said about McNabb. How anyone could have a problem with Wilson—one of the best players in the sport and one of its best citizens—is unfathomable to me, but that’s the case.
There is also a strictly football issue here with Wilson. I’m told he doesn’t always take the blame with teammates for mistakes he makes. In Wilson’s mind, a bad throw isn’t always his fault.
There is also an element of race that needs to be discussed. My feeling on this—and it’s backed up by several interviews with Seahawks players—is that some of the black players think Wilson isn’t black enough.
Two of those issues are valid in my opinion. It was always my opinion that Terrell Owens downfall was being honest about McNabb and other players on the Eagles siding with him, but not speaking on it publicly. I don’t get a McNabb vibe with Wilson, but he is definitely aware of his image and he is PR conscious. As a quarterback of an NFL team, that is smart and will get you farther when you career is over than just saying whatever is on your mind. But, the rank and file might see it as you getting preferential treatment and that is probably true. When you are the QB you get the glory and the blame. As far as Wilson not falling on his sword for his teammates, in general you want your QB to take all the blame, but I never recall Wilson not owning up to his own mistakes. It seems like Seahawks players are nitpicking, but I can at least see where they are coming from with the above gripes.
The not being black enough issue is ridiculous and something that black people in general need to stop harping on because it holds us back as a race. Yes, we are black, but we are also individuals that are free to have our own personality and tastes. Just because you have a curl mohawk, like white women and don’t listen to rap music, doesn’t make you any less black than black man who wears his hat to the back, dates black women and listens to 2 Chainz all day. The players who have that issue with Wilson in my mind are just dumb and need to get over. If Russell Wilson is comfortable being who he is, that is too bad you don’t think he is black enough. That shows your ignorance as an individual and you need to grow up. Black people in general have asked for centuries just for a fair shake, to be able to just be individuals that aren’t stereotyped and typecast as soon as we walk in the door. It is infuriating to me that we fight for that equally and still stereotype ourselves in the most simplistic forms and if someone doesn’t meet that standard they aren’t “black enough”. God knows we are fighting a battle against a lot of enemies, it is sad one of those enemies looks just like us.