Russell Wilson Slams TOB in his Commencement Speech at Wisconsin

[Newton_14]

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/russell-wilsons-memory-about-his-time-at-nc-state-is-conveniently-fuzzy/

Wow. I have long been a fan of Wilson, and love watching him play Football. At NC State, then Wisconsin, and now Seattle. I'm not a fan of any of those teams, but have always tuned in as much as possible and cheered for them with Russell at the helm, but I have to admit I lost a lot of respect for him with this.

Seriously, why go there at all? He claims TOB told him he would never play in the NFL, which most find hard to believe. Given everything that went down back then, I feel the most likely thing is, TOB told Russell that he would never sniff the Major Leagues as a baseball player. If you recall, TOB allowed Russell to miss Spring Football and summer football workouts, in order to play minor league baseball, where he mostly sucked. With State's QB situation heading into Russell's final year, TOB felt Russell needed to attend Spring FB and summer workouts in order to keep his starting spot at QB. TOB was in a bad spot (which often gets glossed over). If he allows Russell to miss the entire Spring and Summer as the two years prior, and still start him over Glennon, Glennon was going to transfer which would leave State w/o both QB's the follow season. Or, TOB can tell Russell that if he misses both again, then forget it because Glennon would be the starter and Russell would hold a clipboard all season. So State gets Glennon for two seasons, vs losing both guys. I have always felt TOB did the right thing and will argue that against anyone. Russell was not even good enough at baseball to be a starter on State's Baseball team. Had he been a standout baseball player at State, and was tearing it up in the Minors, then fine, I let him do his baseball thing, missing the Football sessions in Spring/Summer, and I start him anyway, even though I lose Glennon to transfer.

However, with Russell not being a good baseball player, and telling TOB at the last minute every season that he would be back to play FB in the fall, then in my humble opinion, TOB made the right choice.

At any rate, choosing to slam TOB and Eliot Avent (the NC State Baseball Coach) during that commencement speech was a very bad PR move by Russell and his reputation is going to take a hit. A former NC State FB Player is already slamming him on Social Media.

[NashvilleDevil]

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/russell-wilsons-memory-about-his-time-at-nc-state-is-conveniently-fuzzy/

Wow. I have long been a fan of Wilson, and love watching him play Football. At NC State, then Wisconsin, and now Seattle. I'm not a fan of any of those teams, but have always tuned in as much as possible and cheered for them with Russell at the helm, but I have to admit I lost a lot of respect for him with this.

Seriously, why go there at all? He claims TOB told him he would never play in the NFL, which most find hard to believe. Given everything that went down back then, I feel the most likely thing is, TOB told Russell that he would never sniff the Major Leagues as a baseball player. If you recall, TOB allowed Russell to miss Spring Football and summer football workouts, in order to play minor league baseball, where he mostly sucked. With State's QB situation heading into Russell's final year, TOB felt Russell needed to attend Spring FB and summer workouts in order to keep his starting spot at QB. TOB was in a bad spot (which often gets glossed over). If he allows Russell to miss the entire Spring and Summer as the two years prior, and still start him over Glennon, Glennon was going to transfer which would leave State w/o both QB's the follow season. Or, TOB can tell Russell that if he misses both again, then forget it because Glennon would be the starter and Russell would hold a clipboard all season. So State gets Glennon for two seasons, vs losing both guys. I have always felt TOB did the right thing and will argue that against anyone. Russell was not even good enough at baseball to be a starter on State's Baseball team. Had he been a standout baseball player at State, and was tearing it up in the Minors, then fine, I let him do his baseball thing, missing the Football sessions in Spring/Summer, and I start him anyway, even though I lose Glennon to transfer.

However, with Russell not being a good baseball player, and telling TOB at the last minute every season that he would be back to play FB in the fall, then in my humble opinion, TOB made the right choice.

At any rate, choosing to slam TOB and Eliot Avent (the NC State Baseball Coach) during that commencement speech was a very bad PR move by Russell and his reputation is going to take a hit. A former NC State FB Player is already slamming him on Social Media.

NFL social media sent a tweet with Russ's NFL accomplishments and quoted what Russ said TOB said about his NFL future.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I have always enjoyed Russell's play, and find his comments harmless amusement. Seemed to me he told the story as a motivational ploy rather than sour grapes.

Wilson's never been remotely dishonest - I am inclined to take him at his word.

Either way, it certainly doesn't harsh my day or change my opinion of him.

[luburch]

I saw where one of his teammates from NC State took to social media to point out some of the convenient lies he told in the speech. Wilson comes off like a robot to me. Nothing genuine.

[BD80]

... Wilson's never been remotely dishonest - I am inclined to take him at his word.

...

He and Ciara have been celibate. I have trouble believing that one.

[Indoor66]

What or who is TOB?

[NashvilleDevil]

What or who is TOB?

Tom O'Brien

[brevity]

What or who is TOB?

Turnover Butler?

At least the original post provided a link. I didn't click it either, but I read about it elsewhere first. TOB is former NC State head football coach Tom O'Brien.

[ipatent]

but if O'Brien had a problem with him playing baseball and not being totally devoted to football, why didn't he tell Wilson that earlier?

[weezie]

I have always enjoyed Russell's play, and find his comments harmless amusement. Seemed to me he told the story as a motivational ploy rather than sour grapes.
Wilson's never been remotely dishonest - I am inclined to take him at his word.
Either way, it certainly doesn't harsh my day or change my opinion of him.

Agreed. And Wilson's declaration of celibacy is cringe-worthy but it's his statement and I couldn't care less. Slow time of year for the sport scriveners. Fun for them to turn over the compost heap.

[Indoor66]

...and we care about this on the Elizabeth King board - why?

[PackMan97]

However, with Russell not being a good baseball player, and telling TOB at the last minute every season that he would be back to play FB in the fall, then in my humble opinion, TOB made the right choice.

I agree, TOB made the right choice for the right reason.

However, TOB made the choice that lead to more losses on the field, discord among the fans and perhaps players and in the end is cost TOB his head coaching job.

To be honest, going to WI for a year was the best thing that ever happened to Wilson. Turning the Badgers into a passing team and to the brink of a BCS bowl is what propelled him up to the third round and the Seahawks and the rest as they say is history.

[elvis14]

I thought then and I think now that TOB made the wrong choice. I'll take 1 year of RW over 2 years of MG any day of the week. Sorry, MG was a decent QB and is in the NFL but RW is just a better QB, and frankly it's not even close. TOB should have been begging RW to come back and should have thanks his lucky starts when RW offered to play for him his senior season. The article was from the N+O and compares Wilson's comments about what was discussed in a private conversation to what TOB said in public statements on 99.9, The Heel. Overall the article is pretty poorly written, comparing apples and oranges and painting RW as a bitter, misremembering hater.

If what Wilson is saying is true and TOB told him he wouldn't make it and RW feels as though it was an obstacle he's had to overcome then I actually have more respect for him, not less. I know folks don't want to see him taking shots at TOB but if it's true then it's not taking a shot its describing what he went through and I'm good with it. Obviously, if he's misremembering the conversation then he's wrong, it's a inappropriate shot and shouldn't have been said.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

I saw where one of his teammates from NC State took to social media to point out some of the convenient lies he told in the speech. Wilson comes off like a robot to me. Nothing genuine.

I agree 100%. He has always struck me as being very insincere and too image conscious for his own good. Whether his statements are accurate or not (I tend to believe they are not), there was no need for him to voice them at that venue. I also wonder why a major university such as Wisconsin would choose him to be their commencement speaker - I would prefer someone with a bit more life experience to reflect on.

[Reilly]

... He has always struck me as being very insincere and too image conscious for his own good ...

You must be lost. I think the Black Pigeon discussion is in the NBA playoffs thread.

[English]

He has always struck me as being very insincere and too image conscious for his own good.

You mean the guy who Google'd "How to describe a beautiful woman" and "how to describe black hair" so he could post something about Ciara to his social media accounts on Valentine's Day? No way, bro. Dude is an open book.

[weezie]

...and we care about this on the Elizabeth King board - why?

:D:D:D Must be all the rain, no one has enough work or chores to keep themselves away from the board...

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/russell-wilsons-memory-about-his-time-at-nc-state-is-conveniently-fuzzy/

Wow. I have long been a fan of Wilson, and love watching him play Football. At NC State, then Wisconsin, and now Seattle. I'm not a fan of any of those teams, but have always tuned in as much as possible and cheered for them with Russell at the helm, but I have to admit I lost a lot of respect for him with this.

Seriously, why go there at all? He claims TOB told him he would never play in the NFL, which most find hard to believe. Given everything that went down back then, I feel the most likely thing is, TOB told Russell that he would never sniff the Major Leagues as a baseball player. If you recall, TOB allowed Russell to miss Spring Football and summer football workouts, in order to play minor league baseball, where he mostly sucked. With State's QB situation heading into Russell's final year, TOB felt Russell needed to attend Spring FB and summer workouts in order to keep his starting spot at QB. TOB was in a bad spot (which often gets glossed over). If he allows Russell to miss the entire Spring and Summer as the two years prior, and still start him over Glennon, Glennon was going to transfer which would leave State w/o both QB's the follow season. Or, TOB can tell Russell that if he misses both again, then forget it because Glennon would be the starter and Russell would hold a clipboard all season. So State gets Glennon for two seasons, vs losing both guys. I have always felt TOB did the right thing and will argue that against anyone. Russell was not even good enough at baseball to be a starter on State's Baseball team. Had he been a standout baseball player at State, and was tearing it up in the Minors, then fine, I let him do his baseball thing, missing the Football sessions in Spring/Summer, and I start him anyway, even though I lose Glennon to transfer.

However, with Russell not being a good baseball player, and telling TOB at the last minute every season that he would be back to play FB in the fall, then in my humble opinion, TOB made the right choice.

At any rate, choosing to slam TOB and Eliot Avent (the NC State Baseball Coach) during that commencement speech was a very bad PR move by Russell and his reputation is going to take a hit. A former NC State FB Player is already slamming him on Social Media.

Just to be clear, are you opposed to the idea that Russell was trying to make it as a baseball player? Or that because of that dream, he required special treatment and consideration in his football practice schedule?

Seems to me, this is most likely to have been exactly what it was... Russell wanted to try and pursue baseball AND football, which required accommodations that O'Brien didn't think were worth it. Wilson went elsewhere, and excelled to a point that almost anyone would look at the situation and say "wow, NCSU missed out on a great QB." End of story.

[sagegrouse]

Just to be clear, are you opposed to the idea that Russell was trying to make it as a baseball player? Or that because of that dream, he required special treatment and consideration in his football practice schedule?

Seems to me, this is most likely to have been exactly what it was... Russell wanted to try and pursue baseball AND football, which required accommodations that O'Brien didn't think were worth it. Wilson went elsewhere, and excelled to a point that almost anyone would look at the situation and say "wow, NCSU missed out on a great QB." End of story.

I agree completely. A head football coach wants a player committed 12 months a year to the program, and certainly doesn't want a key player to miss spring practice. In this case, the player in question is the starting quarterback. Holy cow!! Of course, Tom O'Brien was insistent and prepared to move to the next alternative. I mean, seriously? Spring practice without your starting QB participating?

[English]

Russell wanted to try and pursue baseball AND football, which required accommodations that O'Brien didn't think were worth it. Wilson went elsewhere, and excelled to a point that almost anyone would look at the situation and say "wow, NCSU missed out on a great QB." End of story.

Except in his commencement remarks, Russ made it VERY clear that TOB went beyond just not thinking special accommodations were worth it. Instead, TOB told Russ in no uncertain terms that he would never amount to anything in football (odd for a coach trying to lobby for his QB to concentrate only on football). Funny that Russ made a point to call out both the NCSU football coach and baseball coach...he must've really left the Capitol City with some hurt feelings.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Except in his commencement remarks, Russ made it VERY clear that TOB went beyond just not thinking special accommodations were worth it. Instead, TOB told Russ in no uncertain terms that he would never amount to anything in football (odd for a coach trying to lobby for his QB to concentrate only on football). Funny that Russ made a point to call out both the NCSU football coach and baseball coach...he must've really left the Capitol City with some hurt feelings.

Wouldn't any competitive athlete feel that way?

[elvis14]

I agree completely. A head football coach wants a player committed 12 months a year to the program, and certainly doesn't want a key player to miss spring practice. In this case, the player in question is the starting quarterback. Holy cow!! Of course, Tom O'Brien was insistent and prepared to move to the next alternative. I mean, seriously? Spring practice without your starting QB participating?

I can't tell if you are being serious or sarcastic. TOB made a huge mistake not accommodating Wilson, spring practice or not. Because we all know seasons are won an lost in spring practice.

[sagegrouse]

I can't tell if you are being serious or sarcastic. TOB made a huge mistake not accommodating Wilson, spring practice or not. Because we all know seasons are won an lost in spring practice.

No, I am not saying he's right or wrong; I am projecting how a football head coach believes he has to control his only little corner of the universe. It isn't how prepared Russell Wilson is to play; it's how his absence affects the rest of the team -- their preparation, attitude, and cohesion.

Can you imagine Cut's reaction if, two years ago, Anthony Boone had said he was gonna play baseball instead of concentrate on football exclusively?

[elvis14]

No, I am not saying he's right or wrong; I am projecting how a football head coach believes he has to control his only little corner of the universe. It isn't how prepared Russell Wilson is to play; it's how his absence affects the rest of the team -- their preparation, attitude, and cohesion.

Can you imagine Cut's reaction if, two years ago, Anthony Boone had said he was gonna play baseball instead of concentrate on football exclusively?

Got it, thanks for the clarification...maybe reading comprehension isn't my strong suit today :-)

[Tommac]

Maybe I missed it up thread, but didn't Coach K accommodate Trajan Langdon's desire to play professional baseball during the summers?

[sagegrouse]

Maybe I missed it up thread, but didn't Coach K accommodate Trajan Langdon's desire to play professional baseball during the summers?

Yep, and it saved him a scholarship because Trajan's education was paid for by the San Diego Padres. I can't remember if Trajan's deal preceded his enrollment, but I do believe Duke was indirectly involved in San Diego's recruitment of Trajan. Wasn't it the case that Trajan was visiting Duke as a HS student and was throwing a baseball with his father? It attracted a visiting major league scout's interest. Here was a good-sized fella, obviously an athlete, who threw the heck out of a baseball.

Kindly,
Sage
'BTW in three years in the low minors, Trajan played only 50 games and batted only 0.176 as a third baseman. He hit three homers'

[Wander]

I agree 100%. He has always struck me as being very insincere and too image conscious for his own good. Whether his statements are accurate or not (I tend to believe they are not), there was no need for him to voice them at that venue. I also wonder why a major university such as Wisconsin would choose him to be their commencement speaker - I would prefer someone with a bit more life experience to reflect on.

Yes to all of this. I'll also add that while I have no problems with athletes being religious (as it seems most are), his public statements about how God very specifically causes turnovers in football games to make Russell Wilson look better are obnoxious as hell. He's always been annoying to me.

[oldnavy]

I can't tell if you are being serious or sarcastic. TOB made a huge mistake not accommodating Wilson, spring practice or not. Because we all know seasons are won an lost in spring practice.

Disagree. Sometimes leaders have to make tough choices and O'Brien was put in a bad position by Wilson. O'Brien had more to manage than Russell Wilson's ego and wants. He like all leaders has to consider how his decision with one player will impact the team as a whole.

How would O'Brien been able to tell the next player who wanted to skip spring practice no if he allowed Russell to do it?

And as far as the football team's perspective, that is exactly what Russell wanted to do, sit out spring football practice. His reason really didn't matter did it?

It worked out better than fine for Wilson... he should just be happy that he got the chances he has had and made the most of them. He's a very blessed young man.

Nothing is gained by trashing O'Brien publically IMO.

[Dukehky]

Except in his commencement remarks, Russ made it VERY clear that TOB went beyond just not thinking special accommodations were worth it. Instead, TOB told Russ in no uncertain terms that he would never amount to anything in football (odd for a coach trying to lobby for his QB to concentrate only on football). Funny that Russ made a point to call out both the NCSU football coach and baseball coach...he must've really left the Capitol City with some hurt feelings.

This never happened.

Russell is an egomaniac. He may actually believe that is what happened, but it's not.

[MartyClark]

This never happened.

Russell is an egomaniac. He may actually believe that is what happened, but it's not.

I don't know what happened with Russell or TOB. I think it takes some maturity to experience an athletic, business, or professional loss and be gracious about it. I don't think Russell has that maturity.

Most of us don't have athletic losses, simply because we aren't athletes.

The best advice I ever received was when I left a law firm 25+ years ago. I had a few minor beefs with them but largely left because of a better opportunity. A very wise brother in law encouraged me to speak well of my prior law firm and to be gracious. I didn't burn bridges and ended up getting a lot of referrals from my old firm.

I'm grateful that I had a mentor who spoke the truth to me in a way that was both good and productive.

I guess Russell doesn't have the same professional considerations. As I have gotten older, I have seen the wisdom of not dwelling on past insults and looking forward.