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New Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson is, if nothing else, unique.
Some (many) would call him corny or a troll for his schtick, but no one can say that he lacks for confidence in himself.
And that confidence got a big shot in the arm this month as he appears on the cover of Essence magazine with the title of “Sexiest Man of the Moment.”
“By refusing to let conventional restrictions box him in, Wilson has helped to break the mold of what the modern sports star can be,” writer Okla Jones wrote about Wilson. “In the process, he’s blazed a new trail for Black athletes for generations to come.”
Russell Wilson is certainly not conventional.
During his interview with Essence, Russell Wilson takes a big chunk of the credit for changing the way the NFL views Black quarterbacks.
“For me to be able to go to back-to-back Super Bowls, and win one of them, I think opened up a lot of doors,” he said. “Now you see guys like Patrick Mahomes who won it; it’s really just us so far, but there’s more to come.” The emergence of quarterbacks like Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson and C.J. Stroud, to name a few, is indicative of a new era in football and a glimpse into what the sport is trending toward.”
True. Facts. Pat Mahomes would be working the graveyard shift at the local Amazon delivery center if it weren’t for Russell Wilson’s sacrifices and trail blazing. What a martyr. Russell “Jesus” Wilson.
— East Bay Chris (@EastBayChris) April 11, 2024
“What I love to see is guys getting drafted early, and that a lot of teams these days have Black quarterbacks playing for them,” Wilson continued. “It’s all across the league, and it’s showing how the National Football League is starting to evolve, change and break down barriers. I think one of the biggest blessings of my career so far is that I’ve been fortunate to be able to open up doors for others, because of what others did for me.”
I mean if Donovan Mcnabb, Warren moon, Doug Williams, Dante cullepepper, Micheal Vick, Randall Cunningham all didn’t exist then yeah you would be right about that
— stayuponelove2 (@cutlets19504) April 11, 2024
Don’t get it twisted though. DangeRuss also gives some of the credit to others, admitting that quarterbacks like Doug Williams (the MVP of Super Bowl XXII), Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, Michael Vick, and others also had a hand in creating the change, sort of.
“I think about those guys before me, but when I came into the league, there were only a few of us. It was Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, Colin Kaepernick, myself and a couple others,” he said.
Wilson will begin his 13th season in the NFL as the Steelers try to improve on their 10-7 record of 2023 in the fall.