"He was not held to the same accountability as the rest of us" - Russell Wilson's Seahawks teammate reveals QB received preferential treatment
Russell Wilson is no longer with the Seattle Seahawks, the team he spent 10 years with. Despite a reputation as a well-liked player, since his departure to the Denver Broncos, some former teammates are discussing his tenure in Seattle. Interestingly, it's not all kind words.
K.J. Wright was on the Richard Sherman podcast. He and the podcast's host were teammates of Wilson's during the Legion of Boom years when Seattle went to two Super Bowls and won one.
On the podcast, Wright revealed that the quarterback was not treated the same way as his teammates were:
"Early on, early on we talked about accountability and some accountability. Accountability. What I said about Russ, Russ young quarterback growing into himself, he was not held to the same accountability as the rest of us. That's just specifics. That's just facts."
Wright went on to say that it was frustrating that Wilson wasn't held accountable for his mistakes like the rest of the team was:
And so when I looked at our team guys, Rob said, like, Hey, man, we just did I can we do this? You bashing the defense? I need you to at least mention his name in the team room. Can I at least get that? That's how we talk about accountability in the early years."
He finished by admitting that as the young quarterback got older, he had more responsibility placed on him:
"No. As he grew, as he got older, Coach Crowe did do a better job in addressing things like, Russ, do this, do this amount of picks you get, got to get better. So in its early years, it was he was quiet with it. But as Russ grew, the accountability definitely improved."
Wright and Wilson were teammates for nine seasons in Seattle before Wright left for Las Vegas and then retired.
Who was more responsible for the Seahawks success: their elite defense or Russell Wilson?
There is no genuine answer to this question, as football is the ultimate team sport. There are 22 men who can impact the game, 11 of them on the field at a time. The quarterback, while being the most important position, is only one of many players.
Wilson is a good quarterback, something that is paramount to having a winning team. However, Wright was part of the Legion of Boom, one of the NFL's best and stingiest defenses for many years.
They were both required for success, as it's difficult to win without a good quarterback and winning is a lot easier with a smothering defense.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit the Richard Sherman podcast and H/T Sportskeeda.