Seahawks' Russell Wilson: 'There’s no excuse for violence off the field'

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson penned a first-person account for Derek Jeter's new website, The Players' Tribune, about violence in the NFL.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson penned a first-person account for Derek Jeter's new website, The Players' Tribune, about violence in the NFL.

Wilson, who is listed as a senior editor of the site, starts by admitting he bullied others when he was younger. He then calls for help to fix the domestic violence problem in not just the NFL, but all over the world.

From The Players' Tribune:

I used to beat people up. Truthfully, I used to beat people up a lot. Many of you readers probably think I have been Mr. Goody Two-Shoes my whole life, but honestly, I was a bully growing up. In elementary and middle school, I threw kids against the wall. I rubbed their heads in the dirt at recess. I bit them. I even knocked teeth out. I had a lot of anger that I didn’t know what to do with. Thankfully, I was saved by my faith when I was 14 years old, and was able to start living for others instead of just myself.

Wilson's story focuses on an organization called Pass the Peace, which supports victims of domestic violence. According to Wilson, "The idea behind Pass the Peace is simple: It’s a promise. I’m sharing my love for you. I want to take care of you. I am here for you."

This is Wilson's first story for The Players' Tribune, and he said though he typically chooses to stay away from controversial topics, he "wanted to be open and address something that’s important, timely and relevant." 

Wilson said the issue is too large for one person to fix, but a difference can be made if everyone just changes the way that he or she acts.

I can’t fix the world. I can’t fix the NFL. I can’t change the guys around me. The only person I can change is the one in the mirror. I’m not a perfect person by any means. I’m just a recovering bully. But if we start being honest about our pain, our anger, and our shortcomings instead of pretending they don’t exist, then maybe we’ll leave the world a better place than we found it. For those of us in the NFL, there’s no excuse for violence off the field.

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- Sarah Barshop