As the reasons behind the Seahawks’ decision to trade Percy Harvin are continually analyzed, more information about the dynamics of the team’s locker room are being reported. In the latest report, it is suggested that there was a divide in the locker room among Seahawks supporting Russell Wilson and players who supported Harvin. The report says that as the chasm grew, the Seahawks decided they had to trade Harvin before things became more fractured.
Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman, who explores the trade and locker room dynamic in Seattle, gives several reasons why some players have issues with Wilson, and he even suggests that some players believe the quarterback is not black enough.
Freeman says the Seahawks traded Harvin because of “increasing animosity” between the former Vikings wide receiver and their Super Bowl-winning quarterback. This should not come as a surprise; Lance Zierlein of Sports Talk 790 in Houston reported last week that Harvin nearly fought Wilson this season. He also says some players feel Wilson is too close to the front office, which is probably another way of saying that Wilson is a favorite of the organization. Freeman also reports that some teammates are irked by Wilson not always taking blame for mistakes he makes.
The real explosive aspect here is what Freeman says about the racial issue:
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.
It’s unclear whether the not “black enough” part is a thought held by Freeman and shared with players who either agreed or disagreed with his hypothesis, whether Freeman saying that is just him deducing based on what has been told to him, or whether some players have outright said it to him.
What we’re seeing here is pretty typical dynamics in a locker room. When you have 53 guys on a roster, not everyone is going to get along. People have all sorts of different values, priorities and backgrounds, so they’re going to disagree on things, complain and fight. It happens in every locker room. What matters is whether they can play well enough to win together.
Maybe Wilson does not take enough blame for some of his mistakes, but whatever favor he has within that organization is well deserved. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league, he’s a franchise QB, and teammates should be falling in line and following him as the leader. If they become too much of a pain, the team is well within its rights to trade them, like they did with Harvin. Maybe Wilson isn’t unanimously loved in his team’s locker room, but he is the franchise QB, a winner on the field, and a leader who should be followed.
