Pete Carroll Doesn't See Anti-Russell Wilson Sentiment in Seahawks Locker Room

Seattle will open its season at Denver on Sept. 9

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll responded to a Sports Illustrated story regarding special treatment toward quarterback Russell Wilson and an ensuing locker room rift on Friday. Carroll said he needs to do a better job teaching and focusing his team.

"Only that obviously I didn't do a very good job of teaching, because one of the main principles in our teaching is that we're not going to worry about what's happened; all our focus goes on what's coming right now," Carroll said in reaction to the SI story. "And so that's a discipline that we learn, and I just haven't taught it well enough. Whether you win or whether you lose or whatever happens, you need to move forward and leave stuff behind and go. So other than that, I don't care about it."

Written by Sports Illustrated's Greg Bishop and Robert Klemko, Friday's story detailed a growing divide in the Seahawks locker room following their Super Bowl victory in the 2013 season.

Seattle's defensive players perceived strong favoritism toward Russell Wilson, leading to Carroll calling a pass on Wilson's infamous interception to Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl XLIX. And after a poor performance by Wilson against Green Bay in 2016, Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett "needed to be separated" during an argument over how to confront the team's quarterback.

Carroll said he addressed the story with his team, who will open its season on Sunday afternoon at Denver. 

"I addressed it, just the media and the impact of the media and how they can factor in if you let it," Carroll said. "With all the hype that comes in this first week, just look at the pomp and all the circumstance and all that stuff last night, just to get that game underway."

Seattle went 9–7 last season, its worst record since 2011. Wilson threw a league-high 34 touchdown passes, completing 61.3% of his attempts.