Seahawks news: Russell Wilson shares perspective on athletes' difference

Seahawks star quarterback Russell Wilson went on the radio today and shared a deeply personal anecdote about why tackling social injustices is so important.

In the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, athletes and teams across the major sports leagues have spoken out against the racial issues that occur in America. Russell Wilson, the Pro Bowl quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, shared his perspective on athletes making a difference.

Wilson started by answering in the affirmative whether he and his Seahawks teammates would have sat out games like the NBA, WNBA, MLB, and NHL did the other day.

“Yeah, for sure,” Wilson said on 710 ESPN Seattle, via Brady Henderson of ESPN. “I think just witnessing what happened to Jacob and everything else and all the things have have added up to this, it’s devastating. It’s truly devastating just to watch that. This isn’t like this hasn’t been doing on for years. That’s the scary part and sad part. The difference now is we get to see it every day because of social media and phones and everything else. I think the world is truly seeing the ugliness of society at times, and I think what’s really disappointing is just knowing that as we athletes try to make a difference and sometimes people don’t want to listen and don’t want to recognize that that could have been us, that could be us.

Wilson also mentioned the fear of losing one of his three children to violence.

In recent days, teams have held meetings on what they could do to help create change moving forward. Regardless of the athletes' efforts, some fans aren't willing to hear the viewpoints of the players they watch on Sundays.

As a result, it creates more of a divide in today's society. And as the Seahawks star points out, what would happen if it were an NFL player in Blake's shoes? Would they decide to be part of the change when it comes to racial inequality? Or would they ignore the issues because it doesn't affect them?

Justin Simmons, the star safety for the Denver Broncos, exposed a fan that wasn't fond of Simmons speaking out on racial inequality. Despite the fact some people view athletes simply as forms of entertainment, it's time for fans to listen and become part of the solution moving forward.