Back from Texas Pete Carroll has Seahawks on COVID-19 alert, and a message: ‘Stop griping’
Russell Wilson walked the tunnel from the Seahawks’ visiting locker room to an interview room. He was wearing a natty, custom-fitted, brown suit with a window-pane pattern — and a mask, a black one with his RW3 logo in Seahawks green on it.
He got stared at. For the mask, not the suit.
The Seahawks and their traveling contingent got many stares on their latest road trip to Houston.
Signs in NRG Stadium stated masks were “encouraged” Sunday. But unlike in Seattle, mask wearing was not required.
After all, things are different in Texas.
Some stadium staffers in Houston wore masks as a safety measure against the spread of COVID-19 at the Seahawks-Texans game. That has became the norm in NFL stadiums across the country the last two seasons. But many did not. Most fans in the far-from-filled stands did not have masks on throughout the second Texans game in eight years to have the stadium’s roof open with fresh air.
After the game, it was noticeable that the players, coaches and staff from Seattle were the only group in the stadium all wearing masks.
Upon his team’s return home, coach Pete Carroll began his online Zoom press conference noting the NFL had 36 players go onto the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday. That was 25 players on active roster across the league, plus 11 on practice squads.
The Los Angeles Rams put All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who has recently shut down Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, on the COVID-19 list. Rams tight end Tyler Higbee went on it, too. They both missed Los Angeles’ key NFC West game Monday night at Arizona.
The Seahawks play the Rams in Inglewood, California, on Sunday.
A staffer with the Washington Football Team tested positive for the newer omicron variant.
So far, pending more routine testing upon their return from Texas, the Seahawks had no new positive tests for COVID-19 through Monday.
“We are holding on right now,” Carroll said.
The 70-year-old coach has been championing mask wearing, testing and vaccinating against the coronavirus for his team and the general populace since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020. He held testing events last year and vaccination events this year at the team’s headquarters in Renton for players’ families, friends and guests.
Last week, the Seahawks hosted a vaccine-booster drive at their Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Carroll said Monday he didn’t have the numbers of players who opted to get a third vaccination shot. It wasn’t all.
The Seahawks were the only NFL team without a confirmed case of COVID-19 last year. This season, they have had one. Tight end Gerald Everett became the team’s first confirmed COVID case in late September. He missed two games after testing positive.
Everett caught his third touchdown pass of the season from Wilson in Houston.
Carroll said guarding against complacency and players letting down their guards now almost two full years into the fight against the pandemic is the biggest challenge currently for him, the Seahawks — and the entire world.
“That’s it, man. That’s the whole issue, worldwide. And people get fatigued from it. We just can’t. We can’t let that happen,” Carroll said.
“And even though everyone is human and you get worn down by the reminders and the constant ... because it is, it’s stressful when you have to be continually reminded and thoughtful of something that you wouldn’t normally do.
“And it wears on you. We try to avoid it. We look for ways to get out of it. We hear conversations about it all the time. That’s why the national clamor, you know. It is about being diligent. The diligence comes from the constant reminders and the discipline that it takes to stick with it.”
That’s been the message, above all else, Carroll has driven into his players just about every day the last two years: self-discipline, to protect themselves and others around them, to get the team through these seasons like no other in their or anyone’s lives.
“I like to say I do a great job of that. I’ve got to do better,” Carroll said.
“Here we go, we are in the last month of the season, and we’ve got a shot to make it through. I don’t know what’s going to happen after today.”
Carroll chuckled ruefully, mindful of the many added to the COVID-19 list Monday across the league.
“Everybody has to be continually reminded — and stop griping about it,” Carroll said. “Stop griping about being healthy, and helping other people be healthy, you know what I mean? I don’t get that. That’s beyond me.
“It’s so far away from personal rights. I don’t get it. We are just trying to stay healthy.
“We are going to try to continue to do a great job of it, and hopefully just get through another day. It’s just one day at a time. It’s as constant as anything we’ve ever been around.
“And we’ve got to do better. I’ve got to do a better job. I’ve got to remind guys more so.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 4:50 PM.
