Seahawks QB Russell Wilson is all about business, on and off the field

LOS ANGELES — Russell Wilson summoned the four men.

It was Oct. 5, the middle of a week off for the Seattle Seahawks, when Wilson huddled with them here. They sat on the terrace outside an English-countryside-style manor off a winding road on a steep hill, where Wilson lives part time.

“We’re going to win,” Wilson said. “That’s the focus. Everything we do, win.”

The men nodded. None of them plays for the Seahawks.

They are core members of what Wilson calls “my team” — business partners, a manager, a publicist and the head of photo and video for Wilson's brand management company — assembled to help him build an empire. With aspirations that would make Warren Buffett proud, Wilson has founded two companies, acquired equity in three others and started a charitable foundation that this year helped raise more than $1 million for Seattle Children’s Hospital.

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At 27, he is aiming for more than Super Bowls.

“The biggest goal is to be able to influence and change the world,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “That’s the real truth of it all.”

And the truth of it all is, Wilson knows people are concerned these outside interests could distract him and, as a result, hurt the Seahawks. That Wilson, even though he has helped lead the Seahawks to a 4-1 record this season heading into their game Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, is spreading himself too thin.

“I get that all the time, all the time,” Wilson said. “But those are the people that don’t know me.”

Wilson’s assistant arrived with lunch at 3:45 p.m. Wilson said it had been eight hours since he’d had breakfast. Between forkfuls of spaghetti bolognese, he recounted a day that sounded as packed as two-a-days.

A two-hour morning workout. Rehab on an injured left knee. Massage therapy. A trip to Legendary Entertainment for a meeting at the movie studio about an undisclosed project. Film study to follow that night. But that afternoon, sitting on his terrace and barely acknowledging the spectacular view, Wilson reviewed the 2017 collection for his menswear company.

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He calls himself a clothes addict and said he’d taken 2,000 photos of clothes before starting the men’s wear company, Good Man Brand. During the afternoon meeting, as a business partner talked about the company’s 2016 launch and the clothes selling at Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, Wilson smiled.

“And we’ve been killing it,” he said, referring to sales.

Wilson has been killing it, too.

He already has a Super Bowl ring, a supermodel wife (Ciara) and All-Pro credentials: Since Wilson took over as the Seahawks’ starting quarterback as a rookie in 2012, the team has gone 50-19, reached the Super Bowl twice and in 2014 won the first Super Bowl title in franchise history.

He is founder and CEO not only of Good Man Brand but also West2East Empire, which Wilson describes as a creative brand management company. At the same time, he has acquired equity interest in Luvo, a frozen-food company that promotes healthy eating; and Juice Press, an organic food retailer; and The Players Tribune, where he is a Senior Editor of the website. His net worth is $120 million.

Pete Carroll, the Seahawks head coach, said he initially had concerns that was Wilson was taking on too much.

“There was some stuff going on right at the very beginning in particular,” Carroll said. “But he’s always come through. …

“He never forgets what’s No. 1 to him and he takes care of business in a great way.”

***

Wilson traces his juggling skills back to N.C. State, where he played his first three seasons of college football. He also played for the baseball team and took a heavy load of classes because he’d promised his father he’d earn a bachelor’s degree in three years.

He recalled the grueling spring schedule: Wake up at 4:20 a.m. Football workouts from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. Class from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Then baseball practice or a game on a team that was competitive in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“Russell is the classic multitasker,” said Kenny Dichter, CEO and founder of private aviation company Wheels Up and one of Wilson’s business partners.

Or as Mark Rodgers, Wilson’s agent and attorney, put it, “Russell doesn’t feel good unless he’s got three, four balls in the air.”

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Seeking guidance, Wilson has befriended entrepreneurs Chad Hurley, co-founder of YouTube, and Arianna Huffington.

“I think Russell has the passion and the patience that would ultimately allow some of these ventures to see success,” Hurley said. “He’s surrounded himself with great people.”

Huffington, who met Wilson after she sold the Huffington Post to AOL in 2011 for more than $300 million, said the Seahawks quarterback transcends football.

“Obviously, he’s an incredibly gifted and talented athlete,” she said by email. “But another important talent is his ability to articulate his core values and, in what is I’m sure a very busy and noisy life, live by them in a such a thoughtful and deliberate way.

“Though I have to say I don’t approve the hashtag Russell has used: #NoTime2Sleep. I hope he’s put that one to bed!”

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Wilson said he’s able to stay on top of his job as a quarterback and his budding empire in part because he generally gets no more than five hours a sleep a night. The exception is the night before a game, he said, when he typically sleeps 10 hours.

“I’m so relaxed because I know I’ve put all the work in,” he said.

Carroll said he’s struck by Wilson’s ability to manage everything.

“He’s very capable and comfortable in a lot of different settings,” he said. “He’s able to mix and spread around the different things that he’s pursuing and supporting or the businesses that he’s connected with. He can make sense of all.”

***

Wilson traces his budding empire building to his youth, when his parents fostered big dreams. His father conducted imaginary interviews after little Russell won a mythical Super Bowl, and his mother kept him thinking about the future. After Russell won an actual Super Bowl ring with the Seahawks in 2014, Wilson said, she asked him, What’s next?

“I have a big picture in mind, but the key to it all is being in the moment,” Wilson said. “Not thinking about it necessarily too far down the road. I can see it, see where I want to go. I know I have my goals, I know I have my marks that I want to hit and all that.

“But being truly in the moment and knowing what it takes to get there and to do it all you have to build one brick at a time. To build a house, you have to lay one brick at a time.”

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As afternoon crept toward evening, Wilson headed for his next meeting. Film study would follow. He continued to juggle the demands of being an NFL quarterback and a business entrepreneur, and Rodgers, Wilson’s agent and attorney, said the off-field empire hinged in part on Wilson’s on-field performance.

“The attention that he gets and the success that he gets on the field will lead to opportunities that you may not have if you’re not successful, if you’re not in the limelight,” Rodgers said. “If Russell Wilson was a third-string quarterback on a losing National Football League team, some of these opportunities wouldn’t avail themselves.”

For those who fear it will end in failure, Wilson had a ready answer.

“Failure’s not an option,” he said.

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