Earl Thomas: Report Claiming Teammates Said Wilson ‘Isn’t Black Enough’ Is ‘Insult To Our Race’
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SEATTLE (CBS Seattle/AP) — Seattle Seahawks players are standing up for quarterback Russell Wilson after a recent report indicated some on the team felt he wasn’t “black enough.”
Speaking to Monday Morning Quarterback, safety Earl Thomas said that teammates reportedly calling Wilson not black enough is an insult to the African-American race.
“My reaction is that it’s an insult to our race. And Russell is the ultimate competitor. He always works as hard as anyone, and he handles himself with poise. He represents our team and our organization very well. I don’t think there’s any problem with him in our locker room at all,” Thomas explained.
Last week, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report wrote that some black Seahawks players indicated that they felt Wilson “isn’t black enough.”
“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. … This is an issue that extends outside of football, into African-American society—though it’s gotten better recently. Well-spoken blacks are seen by some other blacks as not completely black. Some of this is at play,” Freeman wrote.
The report came after the Seahawks traded Percy Harvin to the Jets after reports surfaced the mercurial wide receiver was becoming a problem in the locker room.
Wilson used Seattle’s 13-9 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday as proof that things are just fine with the defending Super Bowl champions.
“There were no distractions at all,” Wilson said. “It was people trying to find ways to knock us down, but we just keep swinging and keep believing in each other. … There is no doubt that we are more together than ever before.”
Wilson threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Luke Willson Sunday with 47 seconds left to help the Seahawks (4-3) snap a two-game losing streak.
Seattle rebounded after consecutive losses dropped it two games behind Arizona in the NFC West.
Carroll said Sunday was a good reminder the Seahawks don’t care about what’s being said about them.
“We’ve been prepared all year that there would be stuff like this, there would be controversy, there would be story lines that would try to get in between us,” Carroll said. “We’re fine. That isn’t the adversity. The adversity is we’re 3-3. That’s the adversity. We haven’t played as well as we wanted to.”
Thomas said it’s up the Seahawks to prove it on the field week.
“You can’t control how people think, and I’m not a psychology major, either,” Thomas said. “What we can do as a team is show people. I like leading by example. Keep building, keep stacking these wins. Keep working on those little internal details that make all the difference.”
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
