Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, whose carefully-manicured public persona steers him away from saying controversial things (except when hawking magic water), has taken a public stance against City Hall.
Earlier this week, the Seattle City Council denied a request by entrepreneur Chris Hansen to build an arena in the vicinity of the venues that house the Seahawks and baseball’s Mariners. Via NBCSports.com, the move means that the attempt to bring an NBA franchise back to town nearly a decade after the Sonics moved to Oklahoma is dead at worst, seriously delayed at best.
Wilson pushed back with a pair of tweets. He said it’s “baffling” that this “amazing city” doesn’t have the Sonics.
“Bring them back! Seattle Loves Basketball!” Wilson said.
Wilson, who loved baseball enough in past years to participate in spring training with the Texas Rangers and openly muse about playing baseball (it’s funny how a $20 million-per-year contract can bring that stuff to an abrupt end), then agitated for a showdown.
“Let’s stand up & fight to get our team back!” Wilson said.
Strong words from a guy whose public comments typically land in the milquetoast category. So what kind of battle is he advocating?
“Let’s start a petition Seattle!” Wilson declared.
While that’s hardly a fire-and-brimstone attack, the mere fact that Wilson has waded into what has become a hot-button political issue in Seattle is definitely out of character for him.