As we wait for the New York media to get a chance -- presumably on Monday -- to ask Jets receiver Percy Harvin about the trade that exiled him from Seattle, there’s a chance some light will be shed on the Harvin situation later today, via his former teammates.
Sunday’s game at St. Louis will be the first time since the Harvin trade that any members of the organization will be available to the media. Coach Pete Carroll surely will be asked about the move. Reporters will be swarming around players for comment. One player in particular will attract plenty of attention on this topic.
Quarterback Russell Wilson, who hasn’t made a single reference to the Harvin trade on a Twitter page to which he regularly posts messages, will surely be asked plenty of questions about his relationship with Harvin, Harvin’s relationships with other players, any of Harvin’s antics that precipitated the trade, and whether any players have expressed disappointment or frustration regarding the Harvin trade. (Running back Marshawn Lynch reportedly considered not getting on the team bus to the airport.)
Wilson’s words become especially important because he’s the obvious locker-room leader of the team, and because there have been some indications that the hasty move to get rid of Harvin may have been related to an effort to avert a Harvin-led mutiny against the quarterback. Per a league source, Wilson’s “Go Hawks!” style and the sense he’s getting special treatment in only his third NFL season have rubbed some the wrong way. It’s believed that only Harvin and receiver Doug Baldwin have been willing to challenge Wilson.
Indeed, Baldwin appeared to do just that during last week’s loss to the Cowboys. On the sidelines, Baldwin got in Wilson’s face; after the game, Baldwin launched a series of “F” bombs in the locker room.
Baldwin becomes another candidate for some pointed questions after today’s game in St. Louis, given reports that he also clashed with Harvin. So does former Seahawks receiver Golden Tate, who’ll be hearing a question or two about the heavily-reported incident between Tate and Harvin the night before the Super Bowl.
So, basically, look for the Seahawks players and coaches and for guys like Golden Tate to be dealing with topics completely unrelated to what happens on the field in today’s games. It’s be important for the Seahawks to ensure that their players have clear and simple talking points about Harvin -- and that they stick to them.
