The San Francisco 49ers have had plenty of off-field drama, connected to retirements, free agency departures, criminal charges and releases. While our friendly rivals to the north have not had the same kind of problems, the Seattle Seahawks do find themselves in the midst of some nonsense that is sort of on- and off-the-field.
Enter Russell Wilson and is magic anti-concussion elixir.
Last week, a Rolling Stone feature about Wilson included some odd comments about his concussion/non-concussion in the playoffs against the Green Bay Packers. The portion of the article in question reads as follows:
"I banged my head during the Packers game in the playoffs, and the next day I was fine," says Wilson. "It was the water."
Rodgers offers a hasty interjection. "Well, we're not saying we have real medical proof."
But Wilson shakes his head, energized by the subject. He speaks with an evangelist's zeal.
"I know it works." His eyes brighten. "Soon you're going to be able to order it straight from Amazon."
He then posted this on Twitter.
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There was a whole lot to unwrap with that. Initial reactions were all over the place given the issue of concussions, and what comes across as some kind of snake oil. And considering he is invested in the product and pitching the heck out of it, this is bad news.
Wilson subsequently tried to clarify his comments. They did technically back away from the idea that it healed his concussion, and was more along the lines of his tweet regarding prevention. He said that he did not actually get a concussion that day because Recovery Water served as a preventative measure. He said he drank it five or six times a day for a month and a half prior to the game, and felt it helped him out.
One aspect of his reasoning for why it works?
"I think your brain consists of like 75, 80 percent water, so I think that just being hydrated, drinking the recovery water really does help."
Umm, ok? While the brain is technically composed mostly of water, I am pretty sure this is not how science works. And Wilson himself said in the Rolling Stone article they do not have real medical proof. But he's convinced it does work, and is going to sell it like crazy.
There is so much crazy or stupid or something about this that it boggles my mind (maybe I need more Recovery Water for it). People that are fighting to raise awareness about concussions are particularly incensed by what are irresponsible comments. As Mike Freeman put it, "A Super Bowl-winning quarterback, with a sweet smile and kind disposition, is selling an unproven concoction as a cure to a proven plague." This is seriously dangerous stuff.
I think this is an incredibly serious topic, but on a lighter note, it would be just a little bit funny if this was true:
I sincerely hope Marshawn Lynch is mixing shampoo and Aquafina and selling it to Russell Wilson for $800 a bottle.
— Ryan Nanni (@celebrityhottub) August 26, 2015