The Seattle Seahawks had one crucial fumble during their win over the Green Bay Packers, and one even more costly well after the game.
In one of the more bonehead social media posts in recent memory, the team tweeted an unfortunate post that showed quarterback Russell Wilson in postgame tears with the line “We shall overcome.” The horribly inappropriate reference to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—whose birthday came one day after the Seahawks’ win over Green Bay in the NFC Championship—was met with such disfavor, the team promptly deleted it from Twitter. But, as everyone knows, what happens on Twitter stays on Twitter.
The team issued this apology:
We apologize for poor judgment shown in a tweet sent earlier. We did not intend to compare football to the civil rights legacy of Dr. King.
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 19, 2015
An overwhelming number of social media followers were outraged at the Seahawks’ attempt to link their star quarterback—a noted community leader in the Pacific Northwest—to the slain civil rights leader.
Dear @Seahawks … This is football that you PLAY. Trying to compare struggles and success to #MLK is horrible. pic.twitter.com/eiCoCO0gkn
— Chris Bassitt (@C_Bass419) January 19, 2015
#Seattle #Seahawks Clown act rolls on! They Compared Their Comeback To What MLK Overcame! http://t.co/VrH7Ps4Feg pic.twitter.com/dpcWdYd9vQ
— Busch League Sports (@BuschSports) January 19, 2015
Seattle Seahawks making a mockery of MLK tell me again why there bandwagon is so big? #shallow there's life other than football
— Luke Meek (@RealMucasLeek) January 19, 2015
Still, the team has its supporters who saw no need for the ‘Hawks to say they were sorry.
@Seahawks You shouldn't have to apologize for that. MLK set forth, for everyone, these civil freedoms that we hold so dear. #MLKDay #GoHawks
— Michael Angel Cabrera (@guitarsandjesus) January 19, 2015
@Seahawks I didn't think it was offensive at all. Great reminder when faced with any kind of adversity. People just need to chill.
— GRITSrBest✝️🇺🇸🐗 (@Rzrbck89) January 19, 2015
@camt23 @gator_mets @ECitySportsShow @Seahawks I don't have a problem with it.
— Lower IQ than my brain parasite (@TuxedoPlasmosis) January 19, 2015
Wilson, a third-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, is up for a contract extension this offseason with rumors that the team will attempt to make him the highest-paid quarterback in pro football. Having a reputation for being a man of high character, there’s little doubt Wilson will dwell on this public relations blunder.
The team has yet to say who among its staff was responsible for the social media faux pas, and how quickly that person was asked to turn in his or her playbook.
Photo via Philip Robertson/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)