RENTON, Wash. – Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was driving toward the team’s practice facility Thursday around 6:15 a.m. when he noticed a phone number with an Arlington, Tex., area code pop up on his screen.
Wilson answered the call from Rangers general manager Jon Daniels, unaware that Daniels just selected him in the Triple-A portion of Major League Baseball’s Rule 5 draft.
“It was my third time being drafted, so that’s pretty cool,” Wilson said.
Wilson, who played three years of second base at N.C. State, maintained that his attention was trained on the Seahawks as Wilson and his team prepare to face the Giants Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
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Wilson had played minor league baseball in the Colorado Rockies’ farm system previously, but finished his college football career at Wisconsin before being selected by the Seahawks in the 2012 NFL draft. The Rockies had taken Wilson in the fourth round of the entry draft.
“My focus is on football. Mr. Daniels and I talked about that, obviously,” Wilson said. “They knew that, but they just wanted to let me know that they got my rights from the Colorado Rockies. Anyway, it’s a blessing for sure but my focus is on football and what we are doing here.”
Wilson’s desire to play baseball was part of the reason he transferred from N.C. State to Wisconsin. When Wilson announced his plan to attend Rockies spring training in 2011, N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien granted him a release from his scholarship.
On Thursday, Wilson punctuated his weekly press conference appearance as he always does, by saying, “Go Hawks!”
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