Russell Wilson needs to de-clutter his commitment closet, fix Team 3

Do you know who Sayla Tait is?

I doubt it. But, it was Tait who was speaking for Russell Wilson. Tait explained in a statement that the Why Not You Foundation has delivered “over $13,000,000 benefiting education, pediatric cancer research, and hunger prevention. One of the most rewarding parts over the year is seeing the smiling faces of the children and families we meet as they overcome life’s obstacles.”

She went on to describe a close relationship with Seattle’s Children’s Hospital and Albertsons. Tait touted the opening of the Why Not You Academy in 2020 despite the pandemic. She then previewed the good deeds the foundation expects to make in Denver in 2023.

At no point did Tait refute or deny any of the findings in a six-month USA Today investigation into how the Why Not You Foundation operates.

Amongst other revelations, the story stated that the foundation “spent almost $600,000—or just 24.3 cents of every dollar—on charitable activities in 2020 and 2021 combined and nearly twice as much, $1.1 million, on salaries and employee benefits in that span, according to federal tax records.”

Tait is the executive director of the Why Not You Foundation. This foundation was created by Wilson. The existence of the foundation and it’s good deeds were central to Wilson winning the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2020 which is widely considered the league’s most prestigious honor.

This is a mess.

Wilson has every right to be angry. He should be upset at the people that he has entrusted to do the right in his name. But, it all seems to have slipped away from him.

His commitment closet is beyond cluttered, it’s disheveled.

Let’s take a peek at Wilson’s LinkedIn page (yes, Wilson does have a resume online for all to see)

*Professional Football player – Broncos – March 2022 – Present

*Chief Executive Officer – West2East Empire – March 2014 – Present

*Founder – Why Not You Foundation – May 2014 – Present

*Founder – 3Brand – August 2021 – Present

*Founder – The House of LR&C – Dec 2020 – Present

*Founder – Why Not You Academy – Oct 2020 – Present

*Chairman of NFL Flag – NFL – Jan 2020 – Present

*Founder – Why Not You Productions – Oct 2019 – Present

*Co-Owner – Seattle Sounders FC – Aug 2019 – Present

*Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer – Limitless Minds – April 2019 – Present

*Founder – Russell Wilson Passing Academy – March 2014 – Present

*Founder – Russell Wilson Quarterback Academy – July 2017 – Present

*Brand Ambassador – Nike – May 2014 – Present

The only two businesses Wilson is no longer involved with are the Seahawks as their quarterback and Alaska Airlines as their Chief Football Officer. I have no idea what a football officer does when you fly to Anchorage, but he decided he could drop that gig… last month (Dec 2013-Dec 2022.)

I understand having some hobbies, but give me a break, this is ridiculous. Adam Neumann of WeWork fame thinks Wilson is overextended.

It’s no wonder details were missed. It’s not a surprise Wilson wasn’t keeping close accounting on where the money was going. It’s clear it looked like folks were needed to keep the millions of dollars distributed properly. Wilson trusted the wrong people and clearly has too many of them in his life.

In the HBO documentary about NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal, it was revealed that Shaq took a recruiting trip to Montana to try and convince Phil Jackson to come coach the Lakers. O’Neal was deep into his NBA career and had never won a championship. He had movies, businesses and a record label, but had never climbed the championship mountain. Jackson pointed at a log in the lake near his cabin. He told O’Neal to use that log and swim to a nearby island and back. In the frigid waters, a worldwide superstar humbled himself and did what was requested. Jackson told him upon his return, that if O’Neal was willing to give all the extra stuff up, Jackson would lead him to a championship. O’Neal quickly agreed, bought in and Jackson delivered his promise coaching Shaq to three straight championships and three straight MVPs during those Finals.

Wilson doesn’t need an aquatic adventure, he just needs to go into his metaphorical closet. There is little doubt, Wilson has the best of intentions with everything. His problem is he is cluttered beyond belief with things that just don’t matter that much when it comes to football. Nobody is involved in more businesses today as an ex-athlete as O’Neal is. I’m sure his LinkedIn page would dwarf what Wilson has listed. The key is first things first. Wilson likely has a four-year window to cement his legacy. After age 38 things for any athlete get dicey. Often, simplicity breeds success as does selfishness. Wilson is being pulled and prodded in a million different directions. He should be angry. He has more clutter than Imelda Marcos’ shoe closet.

Wilson is not a bad guy, but I don’t know if he can truly still trust the people around him. If he doesn’t make significant changes after this recent embarrassment, it is likely to reflect even more poorly than what can now be excused as just a sloppy mistake. We should all give him the benefit of the doubt, but if he truly cares about his football legacy, clean out that cluttered commitment closet and do it quickly.

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