Russell Wilson made his return to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night after joining the Denver Broncos earlier this year. And when he took the field for the first time, he received a large number of boos from Seahawks fans despite leading the team to two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl win. After the game, Wilson spoke to reporters and was asked about his thoughts on Seahawks fans booing him.
“No, it didn’t bother me,” Wilson said, per Pro Football Talk. “This is a hostile environment. It always has been. I didn’t expect them to give a round of applause every once in a while, you know. So I think that — like I would say, I gave everything I had, every day here. Every day. Anybody that says anything else, they’re completely wrong. I gave everything I had, every day.”
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“So I know that for a fact. Like I said, I have some amazing teammates on the other side of that field that I love to death and gave everything I had to them; they gave everything they had to me. God brought me somewhere else. I’m here in Denver. I’m excited where we’re going. So I’m just grateful. I give the glory to God because he’s given me the gift of playing this game.”
Wilson and the Broncos lost to the Seahawks 17-16 in a game that came down to the wire. But the former Seahawks quarterback had a strong performance in his Broncos debut, throwing for 340 yards and one touchdown. Geno Smith, the Seahawks quarterback who took over for Wilson, finished the night with 195 yards and two touchdowns.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was asked by reporters about fans booing Wilson. “Really I didn’t know, and I was wondering how they would respond, figuring that they probably would respond in a way trying to make it as hard as possible on the other guy because they want to win,” he said, per the team’s official website. “That’s what competing is, and our fans competed in spectacular fashion tonight. This was an amazing place to be tonight right from the get-go.” Wilson was traded to the Broncos after spending 10 seasons with the Seahawks. Along with playing in two Super Bowls, Wilson has been selected to the Pro Bowl nine times.
