October 7, 2022 By: Mark Knudson

Is Broncos Russell Wilson too much of a “Celebrity Quarterback?”

There’s no downside to a highly successful professional athlete giving back to the community. Charitable endeavors are the unspoken responsibility of all of those who have reaped the considerable benefits of stardom.

But timing is everything in life. Can a high-profile player get too caught up in even worthwhile off the field endeavors?

Hall of Fame NFL coach Bill Parcells thought so.

Parcells retired after the 2006 season, but back in 2009, with Tony Romo still taking snaps on the field for Parcells’ former team, the Dallas Cowboys (as well as lots of snap shots off it) Parcells well documented “Eleven Commandments for Quarterbacks” was published. At the end of the list was Parcells plea that he didn’t want a “Celebrity Quarterback.”

“Don’t be a celebrity quarterback. We don’t need any of those. We need battlefield commanders that are willing to fight it out every day, every week, and every season, and lead their team to win after win after win.”

He was talking about distractions – or more accurately – avoiding them. Whatever the leader of your team is doing that isn’t directly related to football during the season can be called a distraction, especially if your team isn’t meeting expectations and your well compensated signal caller isn’t performing at a high level.

After five games, does that accurately describe Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson?

After a dreadful home loss to Indianapolis in which he threw two costly interceptions, the Wilson-led Broncos are 2-3 and in real trouble. The Denver offense on display so far this season has been pretty terrible, and Wilson has looked, at times, well…distracted.

Wilson’s credentials as a future Hall of Famer can’t be questioned. And the fact that he’s in a new offense with new teammates and has only played five games is a factor too. But could any part of the issue – and Wilson is not the biggest culprit in the Broncos offense struggles – be that Wilson has already become something of a ‘man about town” in Denver?

It’s hard to be too critical of the things that have split Wilson’s attention.

He’s a former NFL “Walter Payton Man of the Year” recipient. He’s given large sums of money to dozens of worthy causes. When your spouse is a famous pop star (Ciara is a Grammy-winning singer) it’s nearly impossible to keep a low profile. And since arriving in the Mile High City via a trade with Seattle, the Wilsons haven’t been stay-at-home types – they’ve been everywhere, and not in a bad way.

The couple have their own charitable foundation, which has already pledged $500,000 to Colorado non-profits. That’s nothing new for the Mountain Time Zone’s new number one “Power Couple.”

But is it too much of a good thing?

Example: Even amid his and the team’s poor start to the season, the Wilson’s reportedly took time during the week leading up to a road game against the Las Vegas Raiders to donate their time and resources to a Denver Art Gallery. It’s hard to criticize prioritizing charities, but it’s also fair to wonder if those kinds of endeavors – happening during the season – may be the kind of distractions Parcells was talking about.