The Seahawks quarterback is featured on the cover of the next issue of Rolling Stone. Here are some highlights from the magazine's lengthy profile.
A new profile in Rolling Stone magazine reveals that Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has been training for press conferences since age 7, feels an intense connection with girlfriend Ciara, and believes an energy drink healed his head injury after the NFC Championship Game in January.
Wait, a head injury after that wild, come-from-behind, overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers? That’s new.
As written by Rolling Stone’s Stephen Rodrick:
Another venture is slightly less altruistic. Wilson is an investor in Reliant Recovery Water, a $3-per-bottle concoction with nanobubbles and electrolytes that purportedly helps people recover quickly from workouts and, according to Wilson, injury. He mentions a teammate whose knee healed miraculously, and then he shares his own testimonial.
“I banged my head during the Packers game in the playoffs, and the next day I was fine,” says Wilson. “It was the water.”
(Agent Mark) Rodgers offers a hasty interjection. “Well, we’re not saying we have real medical proof.”
Wilson is on the cover of the Sept. 10 issue of Rolling Stone, the magazine’s “NFL Special.” Here are some more highlights from the Wilson article.
On Wilson’s father, Harrison Wilson III:
What he instilled in his youngest son was the idea that someone was always watching. He began coaching Russell through fake press conferences when the boy was seven. The end result is Wilson is often snarked at for never saying the wrong thing and always being on message. That’s Harrison’s work.
“My brother’s known for his clichés,” says Harry (Wilson’s older brother). “But that’s who my dad was too. My dad was like an old sitcom: There’s always a lesson at the end of it, you know? Like a Fresh Prince episode.”
From Ciara, the pop star whom Wilson started dating six months ago:
“The thing about Russell is he’s real,” Ciara tells me. “And that was a moment that got real real.” She tells me he had no problem with her saucy video for “Dance Like We’re Making Love,” where she writhes in a see-through outfit. “We share similar views on pretty much everything. It’s just superorganic.”
A tidbit involving running back Marshawn Lynch:
Wilson is on such a high that he’s reluctant to let me harsh his vibe. On the Seahawks, the only star who shines as brightly as Wilson is Lynch, a dreadlocked running back who refuses to talk with the media. (At the Kids’ Choice Sports awards, I introduced myself to Lynch, who had appeared in a skit, and he smiled and said, “OK!” Then he walked away.) Wilson is doing national commercials — he has turned down soda and fast-food ads because of their health issues — but Lynch is best known for local plumbing ads, such as a classic “Stop freakin’, call Beacon” spot.
On the Seahawks’ final play of Super Bowl XLIX:
“You can’t get that Super Bowl back,” says Wilson in a low monotone. “But when you get to the next one, what will you do because of that one? I’ve learned how to use the good and the bad from wins and losses, and use them for the next situation. It’s a constant progression.”
Wilson glances down at his phone. I can see Ciara is calling. “We connect so well, and we have the same vision,” he says. I wonder if the hip-hop world is a bit of a stretch for the buttoned-up Wilson. He laughs. “No, it’s a perfect fit, you know? Is it weird? No. It feels right.”