By David Berry
Pete Carroll is the winner of the biggest “No S**t” comment of the week; unless you’re counting Tiger Woods’ “none of your business” comment to a reporter who asked him about the status of his marriage.
Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll denied that accepting the job here in Seattle was in any way related to looming sanctions at USC. Carroll was quoted by the Seattle PI as saying “My coming to Seattle was for one reason. This is an extraordinary opportunity. This is an NFL dream opportunity for me and it had nothing to do with anything that was going on at any time. ”
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Later Carroll stated, “That ongoing investigation was five years in the making anyway. Why wouldn’t I have left some other time? There was never an opportunity that gave me a chance to do something that we had a chance in such a unique fashion here in Seattle. I’m thrilled to be here and it had nothing to do with anything else that was going on anywhere in the world.”
Carroll is saying all the right words here, although it doesn’t seem that his players are all buying his explanation as to why he took the Seattle job. In a video that surfaced on TMZ.com Seahawks receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh proved he was, as usual, not afraid.
When asked if Carroll made the right decision in leaving USC, Houshmandzadeh responded “Of course, get out when the house is burning.” Which in polling a lot of Seahawks fans, most agree with Houshmandzadeh, and the consensus seems to be that Pete’s story holds about as much water as Rafael Palmeiro’s testimony to congress did.
While it remains to be seen what Carroll can do as a coach in the NFL in his second go round; it is rather apparent that he does think he can get the people of Seattle to buy into whatever reasoning he has. Although it seems like most Seahawks fans couldn’t care less about the reasoning behind why he left USC; what they do care about is seeing the Seahawks getting back into contention in the NFC West.
Reach David Berry at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
