Marshawn is an example of somebody people judge based on how he looks and talks, and they don’t understand the depth of who he really is or what he is saying. He rocks that look because it’s true to who he is. Mentally and spiritually, he’s as good a dude as I’ve ever known. He works for his community and his teammates, and whenever you call him, he answers the phone. He could be mayor of Oakland just by having his name on the ballot. I think he’s a great leader, who people might misunderstand much of the time, but what’s cool is that he doesn’t even care. When he sat for the anthem in the 2017 preseason, a reporter said to him, “Let’s talk about the elephant in the room.” And Marshawn replied, “I think that elephant just left the room ’cause a little mouse ran in here. Didn’t they say elephants are scared of mouses or something? That motherfucker left, cousin.” What does that mean? I have no idea, and that’s kind of what makes it perfect.
We also saw it before the Seahawks Super Bowl, when he said, “I’m just here so I don’t get fined” to the media, over and over again. I loved that. He just stayed true to who he is. He’s the only person I’ve ever known who didn’t say anything to the media and somehow got more commercials out of it. By saying nothing, he inspired the rest of us to speak our minds. He defies all expectations, and there are NFL fans who will never get that. But great leaders don’t conform to the norms, and he defies the norms every time.
Marshawn is obviously very charismatic on the field, and that’s where it starts. His two “Beastquake” runs, where he ran through the entire Saints team and then the entire Cardinals team, are like nothing I’ve ever seen on an NFL field. His big “Beastquake 2” run was the best touchdown I’ve ever seen. Afterward, I said he ran that like he was running to the North for freedom. We hadn’t seen a run like that since the Underground Railroad. When he is really motoring I see linebackers and safeties make “business decisions” to whiff on tackles instead of letting Marshawn hit them. That on-field charisma carries over to our locker room. His vibe is so intense that when he leaves a room you feel the void. When I walk past where his locker used to be, it’s like I feel his ghost. It’s beautiful and creepy. But I’m not scared of ghosts, so it’s cool.
Richard Sherman is our shut-down corner and a future Hall of Famer, and one of the most outspoken players in the game. He’s a four-time Pro Bowler who made the journey from Compton to Stanford, one of the smartest people in any room he’s in. He was also a fifth-round draft pick in 2011 and has proven himself the best corner in that draft, so he’s got that chip on his shoulder, also. We share a lot because Richard believes he was drafted so late because his coaches talked him down to NFL scouts for being outspoken. Richard is more cerebral than any player I’ve lined up with. You will never beat his mind on the field. His mind is tough to beat off the field, too. Richard has pushed me to think more deeply about what I’m doing and what I’m thinking. He has spoken out about the NCAA and about racism, and he’s written essays for Sports Illustrated challenging journalists to think through their use of words like “thug” and “posse” when they write about Black athletes. No doubt he has changed the language of sports journalism.
Richard also gives back to the community in ways that go unreported. If I’m doing a project and working with kids, I know I can get Richard—bam—on FaceTime and see their faces light up. I talk to Sherm all the time because he’s just who he is and I love him. We also had a public debate about the Black Lives Matter movement that cemented our bond, but we’ll get to that.
Kam Chancellor, our strong safety, was somehow also a fifth-round draft pick, and is another future Hall of Famer from our defense. He is central to why they call our secondary the Legion of Boom, because when Kam hits you, you stay hit: he has linebacker size and safety speed. When Kam was having contract issues, I did what you’re not supposed to do and spoke directly on national television to Seahawks owner Paul Allen to say, “Pay this man!” I just wanted to show Kam I had his back and that he should get his money. A lot of people have said, “I can’t believe you called out your owner on national television. Nobody’s ever done any shit like that.” But I thought, Fuck it, man, Paul Allen said that he respects me for being me, so I’ll just keep being me and see how that goes.
Doug Baldwin is one of the best wide receivers in the sport. He’s another undrafted Pro Bowler on the Seahawks. We might have the most Pro Bowlers drafted in the fifth round or later on one team in NFL history. He’s also out of Stanford, like Richard. Doug has been outspoken from the jump, addressing issues like police reform and mass incarceration and how it affects the Black community. He is driven by religious principles and the social gospel to make the world a better place. Doug practices his politics differently than I do, and that’s cool. He wants change and he tries to make it happen by sitting down with politicians and police chiefs. A lot of us are wrestling with how to go from tweeting about change or giving an interview to actually seeing it happen and sustain itself. I’m trying to do it grassroots,
