UPDATE (2:58 p.m. ET, April 19): Rangers GM Jon Daniels told reporters Saturday that he has no plans to interfere with Russell Wilson's NFL career, despite the MLB club's feeling Wilson could someday make the majors.
Original post: Russell Wilson's appearance on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel raised some eyebrows for his comments in the preview about still wanting to be a two-sport athlete. The full interview might lift some hair right off.
During the feature (set to air Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET), Gumbel pointed out the quarterback's struggles in his initial foray into professional baseball. Wilson countered by telling Gumbel the Texas Rangers want him to play baseball.
"Yeah, I wouldn't be worried about the statistics of it. I know I can play in the big leagues. With the work ethic and all that, I think I definitely could for sure," Wilson said. "And that's why the Texas Rangers, you know, got my rights. And they want me to play. You know, Jon Daniels, the GM, wants me to play. We were talkin' about it the other day."
The timing of this statement is impeccable for the Seahawks quarterback. He's currently in the middle of negotiations on a new contract with Seattle which, as Jason La Canfora wrote Friday, could absolutely end up becoming a testy affair between the player and the team.
Wilson's leverage with the contract negotiations isn't hurt by the idea of playing baseball. It's a reminder to the Seahawks that he has options, even if Wilson succeeding in the bigs is a long shot.
Regardless of whether he's actually going to play baseball, bringing an extra sport into play is only going to add a layer to already difficult contract talks.
The entire interview is a surprisingly candid look at a player who is usually so full of platitudes.
While discussing the high of being drafted by the Rockies immediately followed by the low of his father dying the very next day, Gumbel asks Wilson about his time in Raleigh when he played for North Carolina State and what he thinks when he hears the name Tom O'Brien.
"You know, he was my head coach, you know, NC State," Wilson says. "Kinda kicked me out of NC State a little bit. But, you know, at the same time ..."
Gumbel stops him mid-sentence to point out there's no "a little bit" about it. Wilson acknowledges it.
"Yeah ... I'll never forget it," Wilson says. "You know, I'll never forget the times that people have told me that I couldn't do something."
That's the first time he has ever really pointed out he was run out of Raleigh and into the arms of the Wisconsin Badgers. It's a series of events that worked out well for Wilson but something he clearly won't forget.
