One of the interesting thing about the Seattle Seahawks is the quality of comments I hear coming from the players. Most recently Doug Baldwin wrote this well thought-out piece about the painting of a Confederate flag in his hometown of Pensacola FL.

That brings me back to a few provocative and astute articles written by fellow Stanford grad Richard Sherman, dealing with race in the NFL. Find a some of those articles here.

It is no accident that these players have very considered writing styles. First, of course, they both graduated from Stanford which judging from these two alums has awesome academic writing standards. Second, and more pertinent, I think the Hawks organization asks its players to consider the thoughts behind their actions. Sherman speaks to this a bit when he says that Coach Carroll was his rock during the “rant” incident of 2014. Richard also says that Carroll has a rule that the Seahawks players protect the team’s reputation by not saying anything controversial (I’m guessing he means things hasty and not well-considered).

Russell Wilson continues this trend when he writes on Derek Jeter’s blog, The Player’s Tribune. His article about bullying was particularly insightful.

Overall this approach by these star players pleases me immensely. One of the reasons I started this blog is because I wanted to see the true athlete behind the hype. I am tired of the Twitter wars that start over a 140 character statement. Athletes maintain a carefully structured image, but I’d rather see their true thoughts. That is why I appreciate Doug Baldwin (and all the others too) speaking out about issues important to him and the whole country.