We all know that Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson had a stint in the minor leagues before being drafted by the NFL, and we’ve all seen the visits he made to the Rangers' spring training camps in the offseason. But what we may not have known is that the Rangers are serious about Wilson doing more than just fielding a handful of ground balls for the fans.
In an interview with Bryant Gumbel set to air on HBO, Wilson said the Rangers are serious about him being a two-sport athlete. Texas added Wilson to its Triple-A roster this winter to prevent another team from selecting him in the Rule 5 draft.
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“You played minor league ball for a while,” Gumbel said in the interview. “Correct me if I’m wrong. Numbers were .227 average, five homers, 26 RBI. If the numbers were better, would you (play baseball and football)?”
“I wouldn’t be worried about the statistics of it,” Wilson replied. “I know I can play in the big leagues. With the work ethic and all that, I think I definitely could for sure. And that’s why the Texas Rangers got my rights. And they want me to play. Jon Daniels, the GM, wants me to play. We were talking about it the other day.”
Clearly, the Seahawks would rather Wilson focus solely on football and getting them to a third consecutive Super Bowl, but they do admire his “can do” attitude.
“I think one of the primary things that really attracted Russell to us — I know me in particular — was the confidence he has in himself and the goals, dreams, aspirations,” Seahawks GM John Schneider told KIRO radio earlier this week.
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“He’s off the charts in terms of his confidence level and the way he views himself, so it doesn’t surprise me that he would think that way. Quite frankly, I haven’t thought much about the baseball aspect of it. Based on the position that he plays in football, I think it would be difficult. But the way he attacks everything, I don’t think you could put anything past him.”
The full interview with Wilson will air Tuesday at 10 p.m.