Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin drew a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after making his only catch of the Super Bowl — a three-yard score to put Seattle on top 24-14. Who was the gesture directed toward?
When asked after the game about pretending to take a dump in the end zone, Baldwin said the celebration was between “me and the guy it was directed at.” He would not specify if it was one guy or a group of people, but some have speculated that Baldwin was once again expressing his displeasure with reporters who have criticized Seattle’s receiving corps.
After the Seahawks defeated the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, Baldwin went off on reporters and dropped an F-bomb on live radio. Apparently that anger carried over into Super Bowl week, because he confronted Sports Illustrated’s Peter King last Friday.
Last week, I was the pool reporter for the Pro Football Writers of America covering Seattle Seahawks practices. I was standing on the sidelines of practice Friday, inside the Arizona State University football practice bubble, when, after a play was run, Doug Baldwin strode over to me until he was right in front of me. He was not happy. He said angrily: “You’re into this mediocre receiver s—, right? I read your s—.”
What? Huh? I truly didn’t know what he was talking about.
Baldwin had anger in his eyes. “You’re one of them!” he said. “I read your s—.”
King had called Baldwin out in his column earlier that week, basically telling him to tone down the “we get no respect” stuff when the Seahawks receivers routinely drop passes.
For what it’s worth, Baldwin’s only catch on Sunday came on a play where Revis ran into the official. Other than that, he was completely erased and became a vintage victim of winding up on Revis Island.
