Is Russell Wilson Fake?

[Russ Willstrong]

You lost me when you exaggerated his teammates not liking him. There was one and immediately another teammate came to Wilson's defense.

I know someone who has access to multiple players and his teammates love him. He may not connect with all of them but they all respect the heck out him and view him as a great guy, teammate and human being.

This stuff is stupid.

You're reading in an exaggeration that isn't there.

I've also gone out of my way to repeatedly state that I suspect that the majority of his teammates probably disagree with this take, and even more probably don't care at all either way.

That teammates might love him and respect him supports the take I offered. It doesn't contradict it.

And FWIW I agree that this is all pretty stupid (I've called it meaningless multiple times). It's the off-season though and there's not much to talk about. If the convo is beneath you, just swim past it.

Dont get all worked up and personal there guy. Remember you are posting on a Seahawks board.

 

[fenderbender123]

It's because of the rumor about Percy Harvin not liking him. Percy gets along with everyone, and is one of the most respected players in NFL history, so obviously it's all on Russell Wilson for being an annoying, terrible teammate.

Yep. The same Harvin who wanted to sign with Seattle because he said they had a great playmaker at qb who was like Favre. The same Harvin who was seen with Wilson on the practice fields joking and smiling more than with any other player.

:shock:

Are you saying that rumors perpetrated by the media aren't always true?

 

[Our Man in Chicago]

The baseball "Coach" attitude might simply have come from his years a a QB. Wilson's role as a 2nd baseman does not require him to be a field general, but it's not easy to self-demote once you've hit on something that works.

Here's the way I see it, and don't put too much stock into this:

Wilson has had to overcome serious adversity in his life. No one doubts this. In order to overcome these barriers (physical limitations, racial barriers, tough hometown, death of father, demotion from starting role, change of colleges/new playbook, low draft spot, divorce, constraints of religion vs. matters of the flesh), he's taken on a manicured Super Russ persona to cope and succeed. He's subverted his circumstantial manacles and achieved a high-level lifestyle - to the point where I'm not sure he feels comfortable removing the Super Suit very often. Sort of like The Mask. Super Russ works, and with Super Russ comes a winning mentality, the starting QB role, a high-class SO, elite-level marketing roles, cross-cultural acceptance, public acclaim for his charity, and approval of his god and his deceased father. Why not leave the suit on full-time?

We've seen cracks: the divorce, which seemed to come out of nowhere; the porno slip; the tears after the improbable GB comeback. On this level, you and I are not so different than Wilson. As alluded-to upthread by Spin Doctor: without our own individual suits, we worry at low-ebb moments that we'll be exposed as frauds and lose everything. Russell is very human, and he must deal with the weight of his constructed image. I hope that he can find peace with himself when he's alone. It's the same thing I wish for myself.

 

[WilsonMVP]

As far as media is concerned he is like Tiger Woods used to be, or maybe Peyton Manning...although obviously off the field they are way different. Both Woods and Manning I feel put on a media show that was scripted and sculped just like people claim Wilson does. I could be wrong it just seems like this is the case.

 

[rideaducati]

So would people rather Russ conduct himself like Cam, Kap, or Big Ben?

Thought so.

The mediots would LOVE that...more news stories to get clicks. Russell stories don't garner clicks from opposing fan bases, unless they are looking for the "cliche of the day".

 

[Glasgow Seahawk]

I'm guessing he like to portray a certain image and that's okay even if his tweets are dull as dishwater. Just keep doing it on the field and stay out of trouble off it.

 

[kobebryant]

He kind of strikes me as a Jordan/Tiger (before the fallout) type. Super safe corporate type with a carefully branded image that big corporations like Nike just drool over.

He is mostly just a harmless doofus; if Carlton Banks was an NFL qb.

Would it be great if he had Matt Hasselbeck's personality? sure. But is really hard to be the QB and the most liked/coolest guy in the locker room like Matt was.

 

[Hasselbeck]

He's always given me a Tiger Woods vibe with his persona. Tiger always had that "too good to be true" thing about him too.

But really I don't care, I don't personally know the guy.. I never will personally know the guy. He does a lot of good things in the community, he keeps his nose clean off the field, and he does a pretty damn good job on the field.

 

[Hasselbeck]

So would people rather Russ conduct himself like Cam, Kap, or Big Ben?

Thought so.

Outside of handing a press conference poorly after the biggest loss of his career, how has Cam ever been a bad dude? He's like Russ in that he does a lot of great things for kids, has not had any incidents off the field, etc.

Just because he's arrogant and likes to dance and celebrate doesn't make him a terrible person.

Hate towards Cam has always been very perplexing to me, but maybe I'm just in the minority on it. :?

 

[Uncle Si]

I think there is a lot of genuineness in RW's actions both on and off the field. Sure, it's restricted by image control. Can it get boring? sure. But this is the society that we, the fans, have created over years and years of hammering our superstars at every turn. We want so much access to them, then criticize everything they do we do not agree with.

But it's hard to suggest he truly does not care about the endeavors he takes on with all his heart. While he may be "robotic" at times, i also believe him to be very genuine in what he does and stands for.

I also think his religion plays a huge role in that. He sees winning as more than just football success. Regardless of your beliefs, its certain that Wilson uses his as a motivator to help others.

How can we not embrace that as a community?

 

[kobebryant]

So would people rather Russ conduct himself like Cam, Kap, or Big Ben?

Thought so.

Outside of handing a press conference poorly after the biggest loss of his career, how has Cam ever been a bad dude? He's like Russ in that he does a lot of great things for kids, has not had any incidents off the field, etc.

Just because he's arrogant and likes to dance and celebrate doesn't make him a terrible person.

Hate towards Cam has always been very perplexing to me, but maybe I'm just in the minority on it. :?

I like Cam and never got the hate for him either. But, objectively, the press conference and not hitting the deck for that fumble soured me ever so slightly on him.

 

[kobebryant]

I have to take this Heppe guy's opinion with a massive grain of salt too.

I played juco hoops and ran d1 track - every senior in the world is gonna dislike a scrappy, undersized, lightly recruited, redshirt freshman. And that was their only year together.

More telling to me is that JR Sweezy, TJ Graham and other NC State guys volunteer when his camp is in Raleigh. JR doesn't strike me as the type to do anything for someone he doesn't like, or even like people in general.

 

[Hawks46]

The way our society has become, the average person seems to like it when the "higher ups" have been brought low. The higher you get, the sweeter the fall to the public. I attribute it to social media and political division, but I don't blame Russ for having a public persona.

Look at anyone who makes a somewhat bold statement in the media or social media. They're castigated, and the sports media is almost as bad as the paparazzi. They will keep playing even marginally daring statements over and over and over again. I know if I said something that could be misconstrued, or I made a mistake, I wouldn't like to hear about it in perpetuity for weeks on end, until someone else screws up and the attention is off of me.

Also look at the average sports fan(atic). We're much more passionate about this subject than most. I'll take Cam Newton as an example. He sometimes annoys me with the over celebrations, but if he was our QB we probably wouldn't care. Other than excessive celebrating, pouting on the sidelines, and being surly after some losses, what has he really done to inspire hate or ire ? All of the things that annoy us really should tick his team mates off more than us, yet it doesn't. Why is this ?

Because to athletes, it's all about what you do on the field. You can talk as much sh!t as you want, but you better back it up. If you barely get on the field, or suck while on it, you better be humble. Sure, you still have to get along with guys in the locker room, but you have to be a real dbag to lose most of the players, IF you're damn good on the field. This is what annoyed me about Christine Michael. He was always hamming for a camera, yet he never got on the field.

Russell Wilson balls out. Not only that, but he's mostly kept his personal life out of the public eye (who can blame him). He also uses his public platform to talk religion, but that doesn't bother me either. To each his own, and he's got the right to use him public platform however he wants. People of Christian faith are taught that you need to be a missionary in your daily life, an that they need to get the message out. You're going to get some flak for it, but if it changes a few lives, it's worth it to them.

I'm a subscriber that if i don't like a channel, I change it. If i don't like someone's opinion, I ignore it or don't let it bother me. This post has gotten entirely too long to try and explain something I'm not really even that invested in. :thirishdrinkers:

 

[2_0_6]

So would people rather Russ conduct himself like Cam, Kap, or Big Ben?

Thought so.

Outside of handing a press conference poorly after the biggest loss of his career, how has Cam ever been a bad dude? He's like Russ in that he does a lot of great things for kids, has not had any incidents off the field, etc.

Just because he's arrogant and likes to dance and celebrate doesn't make him a terrible person.

Hate towards Cam has always been very perplexing to me, but maybe I'm just in the minority on it. :?

No hatred for any of the QB's I mentioned, I brought them up as an example comparing how they act to how Russell does/would.

Would Russell ever take an opposing fans flag from them and throw it on the ground? Nope

Furthermore, Cam was charged with felony counts of burglary, larceny and obstructing justice for stealing a fellow student’s laptop in 2010. When police came to his dorm, Cam threw the laptop ( which he had painted his name on)out his window. He was suspended from the team, and held in jail. All charges were dropped when he completed a court-approved program. Despite his troubled behavior, Cam persevered to become the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner and the Number 1 NFL draft pick.

In 2015, Green Bay Packers fan sought payment from the Carolina Panthers after Cam tore down and stole his homemade, $500 sign that said “Carolina Cheeseheads” at a Packers-Panthers game. Cam’s explanation: “You’re not going to sell a Whopper at McDonald’s.”

The guy has immense talent, but doesn't always use his best judgment.

 

[chris98251]

I look at Wilson as having a Phone voice in public, he knows he is a target for false lawsuits and accusations everytime he does something now and is smart enough to protect that as much as he can. He is successful, those that are not will always try to knock you down, media hopes and works at he is to good to be true angle and stretches things to try to smear him.

Tom Brady

Aaron Rodgers

Peyton Manning

and any other highly successful QB in the NFL has people that hate them or hate on them.

You don't see these stories about Ryan Fitzpatrick or Blaine Gabbert now do ya?

 

[chrispy]

For me, looking at this conversation through a different lens, adds clarity.

Shem has, many times, said he has a media personality that is very different than the way he acts on an everyday basis. I think young athletes do this quite normally just to draw a line for privacy's sake. We all know that many athletes are encouraged to act this way and only answer media questions with cliches and generalizations. So Russel does this... and sometimes it's kind of uncomfortable and annoying. He acts and talks, publicly, the way he thinks he should. The difference between him and Sherm is that Sherm is just better at it. Sherm used that media personality to disarm the controversy with the Crabtree thing and it elevated his media presence. Russel's media personality turned an innocent comment about vitamin water into a puzzling, late-night joke. Russel, in time, will probably get better at being a little less uptight in front of the camera. But it looks like he'll just take more time. He just isn't naturally good at it. For now, I'm happy with him practicing his on-the-field persona more than his on-camera persona.

 

[kearly]

As hgwellz12 says, everyone is at least a little fake some of the time. It's just part of being a human being in society. So really the question should be "Is Russell more fake than most?" I would say no, because he actually lives the life he ascribes to.

I think a more accurate description of Wilson would be to say that he's corny and lacks self awareness.

 

[razor150]

I really don't care if he is fake or not, I am not one of his teammates that he is trying to get to believe in him. To be honest more people should be as fake as Wilson considering the good he does within the community.

 

[kearly]

He's always given me a Tiger Woods vibe with his persona. Tiger always had that "too good to be true" thing about him too.

But really I don't care, I don't personally know the guy.. I never will personally know the guy. He does a lot of good things in the community, he keeps his nose clean off the field, and he does a pretty damn good job on the field.

Personally, I always thought Tiger was an irritable, uncaring person based on the way he spoke to and treated his caddies, and a personal story I had heard from an acquaintance who had stopped at the side of the road to help Woods after Woods' car broke down by the side of the road many years ago (Tiger pulled the "do you know who I am" line.) So when the truth was revealed about Tiger's mass infidelities and he admitted to not caring about anyone in the world other than himself, it wasn't a surprise to me at all. If the same things came to light about Wilson, it would shock the hell out of me.

Outside of handing a press conference poorly after the biggest loss of his career, how has Cam ever been a bad dude? He's like Russ in that he does a lot of great things for kids, has not had any incidents off the field, etc.

Just because he's arrogant and likes to dance and celebrate doesn't make him a terrible person.

Hate towards Cam has always been very perplexing to me, but maybe I'm just in the minority on it. :?

I used to think the Cam hate was mostly just lazy racism, but then I realized that Johnny Manziel was hated long before he busted in the NFL, for also being a guy who prioritized having fun over having class. There is a racist element to the Cam hate of course, but I think if he were white and doing the same thing he'd still have a lot of haters because most fans feel that all QBs are required to be classy professionals ala Peyton Manning.

Personally, I think it's stupid. If a QB can help you win, and he's not getting in legal trouble, I don't care how he does it. I like that Cam has fun, I like that he rubs the other team the wrong way. I did not love his SB sulking, but at least he was consistent. He acts like a kid when winning, and he acts like a kid when losing. I don't know why anyone was surprised or offended by his demeanor. It's two sides of the same coin. It's just who he is.

 

[Popeyejones]

Wilson has had to overcome serious adversity in his life. No one doubts this. In order to overcome these barriers (physical limitations, racial barriers, tough hometown, death of father, demotion from starting role, change of colleges/new playbook, low draft spot, divorce, constraints of religion vs. matters of the flesh), he's taken on a manicured Super Russ persona to cope and succeed. He's subverted his circumstantial manacles and achieved a high-level lifestyle - to the point where I'm not sure he feels comfortable removing the Super Suit very often.

It's interesting theory, but as I recall in a profile of Wilson his brother talks about how he's ALWAYS been like this since he was a little kid.

IIRC he partially got it from his dad, who (from the same profile, as I recall) like Russell, also always spoke (and seemingly kindly of thought) in weird cliches and aphorisms too.

---

Also, not to put too fine a point on it, and losing a parent in your early 20s definitely sucks (I lost my dad when I was 17) , but compared to a bunch of guys in the NFL the "adversity" Wilson had to overcome growing up and in his career is a friggin' cakewalk.

The guy grew up in the church and by all accounts had a solidly upper-middle class and loving family that supported him and invested in him. (his dad was a lawyer and his mom is a nurse; his grandpa was a university president and his grandma was a professor; his other grandpa was a famous painter who went to Yale).

Probably the biggest professional hurdle he has had to overcome is that he got drafted to play baseball and because he pursued it he had to play football for a different program.

I mean, yeah, the guy got drafted in the 3rd round because he isn't tall, but put him up against a bunch of UDFAs from broken neighborhoods and families who really don't have any other options and it's really not comparable. Some people don't (very wrongly) snicker about him "not being black enough" because of all the adversity he's faced. :lol: