Seahawks’ triple-vaxxed Russell Wilson says he tests at home for COVID-19 almost daily
Russell Wilson is using all of his many resources — and a lot of his family time — to stave off COVID-19.
The Seahawks’ triple-vaxxed, $140 million franchise quarterback said Thursday not only does he test for COVID twice each week with his team at its headquarters, Wilson also tests at his waterfront home in Bellevue just about every day.
“I’ve always been taking precautions along the way,” Wilson said hours after his team put his top wide receiver Tyler Lockett and its leading rusher Alex Collins on the NFL reserve/COVID-19 list.
“Obviously, we test here, and then we test at the house and everything else all the time...Constantly, every day, pretty much, at our house people — anyone who has gone near or gone anywhere,” Wilson said, after taking off his black mask.
“It’s one of those things that it’s been part of our lifestyle. It’s changed all our lives, in so many different ways.”
Coach Pete Carroll said he believes the Seahawks have been the only NFL team to test twice each week this season. The league only requires vaccinated players to test one time per week. Seattle’s players, coaches and staff have tested on Mondays and Wednesdays all this season.
The Seahawks had been one of four NFL teams without a player on the COVID-19 list this week. The league had 97 players from 28 teams added to the COVID list Monday through Wednesday alone.
Lockett and Collins are both vaccinated. They became the second and third Seahawks on the COVID list this season. Tight end Gerald Everett missed two games into October after he tested positive.
Everett said Thursday he’s still in a 90-day “grace period” the league gives players who have tested positive for COVID-19, exempting them from testing for three months. Yet Everett said he re-tested Thursday.
Everett said many Seahawks “who felt kinda weird, felt they should double-check” retested Thursday. That was their third test this week.
Wilson said: “It’s a pretty serious matter, just in general, as we’ve been saying for a long time.
“The real of COVID is, it can affect anybody, and it can impact anybody...I’m praying for our guy Tyler that he feels better everyday, if anything’s going on with him.”
Wilson said he talked to Lockett via telephone Thursday and the wide receiver was feeling “pretty good.” The quarterback was “hoping” to have Lockett to throw to Sunday when the Seahawks (5-8) play at the Los Angeles Rams (9-4).
Lockett and Collins need to test negative twice starting Friday and by Saturday 1 p.m. to be able to play Sunday in Inglewood, California.
“Here, we’ve done a tremendous job throughout the two years of COVID just being extremely careful. We’ve been fortunate not to have, really, anything along the way COVID-related,” Wilson said. “We’ve been really conscientious of each other, of each other’s families, just our city and just trying to be as careful as possible.
“And even when you are ultra-careful — a guy like Tyler — something could happen. You never know. This thing’s in the air. It’s all around us. So we have to be very conscientious, washing our hands, making sure we are wearing our masks, pretty much at all times, and just caring for each other and doing everything we can possible. That’s where the vaccine is so important, and booster shots and all that.
“It doesn’t mean it’s going to stop it. It means if something happens hopefully it can help us heal better and feel better.
“I’ve been vaccinated, both times (fully vaccinated). And then I’ve also taken the booster shot, as well,” Wilson said.
“People’s lives are on the line. So we have to protect everybody as much as possible.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 2:46 PM with the headline "Seahawks’ triple-vaxxed Russell Wilson says he tests at home for COVID-19 almost daily."
