Did 'Piss-Poor' Russell Wilson Already Break Payton 'Anonymous Donors' Rule?
Denver Broncos QB Russell Wilson means well, he really does. After a horrible season statistically following his blockbuster trade away from the Seattle Seahawks, he's been ripped in every possible way - including critics calling him "chubby'' and saying he's "built like a sack of potatoes.''
Wilson is a stellar athlete and he's got pride to go with that gigantic contract. So .. good for him. He got in the gym.
But maybe "bad for him''? By publicizing his fitness efforts - as innocuous as that seems on the surface - now Wilson is being accused of having violated a guideline established by new Denver coach Sean Payton.
“(We’ll be) a little bit more 'anonymous donors' this season,” Payton said in February, following up with an explanation of the unusual use of the phrase. “Just know that we’re working, but with a little bit less visibility on social media and all those other things. We’re going to get to work, and ultimately, it’s how we do in the fall (that matters).”
Payton, who also rolled into town and immediate suggested he would sort of disband the Wilson group that seemed to have special access and special treatment inside the Broncos facility, was sending a message: Shut up and get better.
Did Russ' social-media post/boast violate the coach's wishes?
Former Broncos offensive lineman Mark Schlereth, a respected media voice in Denver who also does network TV with FOX Sports - believes so.
"Sean Payton came into Denver to be the head coach and his very first press conference was, 'I want more anonymous donors.' And it was all quiet on the western front," Schlereth said. "You didn't see videos being posted, and you didn't see any of that stuff, and you get away from Sean Payton, you go on summer vacation, and two days after summer vacation starts for the players and coach, you get a Russell Wilson workout video on one of them damn slide boards. ...
"Things were going so well. All was quiet. Nobody jumped out of line. Nobody was promoting themselves with stupid workout videos and this, that, and the other —and then you get one two days away from the boss. ... and you have to post a video.''
Schlereth helped Denver to Super Bowl glory and is "old-school'' by nature. Maybe our Broncos SI colleague Chad Jensen is right with his "mountain out of a molehill'' evaluation. Schlereth seems to get that, but ...
"You had such a piss-poor season last year,'' he said. "It's probably is not going to affect anything, except for ... the tone-deafness nature of sometimes the way Russell Wilson rolls in his everyday life."
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