Charles Barkley once defended Russell Wilson over 'not Black enough' comments from Seahawks teammates

Russell Wilson once came under fire for not being "black enough" when he was with the Seattle Seahawks. There were rumors of locker room unpleasantness because players didn't think their quarterback was black enough, based on a column run in Bleacher Report.

For what it's worth, Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman quickly shot down the reports, saying it was a disgrace and completely made up. Wilson quickly had a few staunch defenders, including NBA legend Charles Barkley.

The former MVP said this about Wilson via USA Today:

“There are a lot of black people who are unintelligent, who don’t have success––it’s best to knock a successful black person down if they’re intelligent, they speak well, they do well in school, and they’re successful."

He expounded, adding that this was a problem much larger than the Seahawks' locker room:

“What I said was, it’s a dirty secret in the black community unless you’re a thug or got a criminal record or just a jackass, some people don’t think you’re black enough. It’s a dirty little secret in our community. I want black kids [to know] we can be strong, intelligent.

"We just tell kids if you’re doing good in school, you’re acting white. If you speak intelligently, you’re acting white. That’s bull[expletive]. That’s one of the reasons we as a group, us black people, are struggling. We don’t have great respect for each other.”

Barkley continued urging people to disregard this line of thinking. He considers it harmful to his community:

"You don’t have to be a thug or unintelligent. You’re supposed to do great academically. You’re supposed to speak correctly. You don’t have to have street cred. I tell people, ‘We’re the only group where if you have a criminal record it makes you more black.’ It’s ridiculous.”

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Can Russell Wilson bounce back?

Russell Wilson is no longer with those Seattle Seahawks. He was traded from them last year as one of the most high-profile transactions of the entire offseason. Things quickly got worse, though.

Wilson had an atrocious season and his new head coach was fired. The Denver Broncos brought in Sean Payton, after sending more assets to the New Orleans Saints for him, to fix Wilson.

Russell Wilson hopes to bounce back this year

Whether or not he can do it remains to be seen, but there's certainly optimism that Wilson can return to form this season and lead the Broncos to the playoffs.