The Denver Broncos and in particular starting quarterback Russell Wilson struggled mightily this past season, finishing with a 5-12 record in large part due to Wilson’s worst individual season in recent memory. However, former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf detailed a potential reason for these struggles involving a tragedy to someone close to both him and Wilson.
Leaf posted a clip on Twitter of his podcast on PointsBet called The Straight Line. On the podcast, he detailed that Wilson worked very closely with Trevor Moawad, who worked in the field of mental health and positive thinking. Moawad also worked alongside Leaf after he got out of prison once his NFL career didn’t work out.
Moawad unfortunately passed away in September of 2021 from a brain tumor, which Leaf believes is something that still weighs on Russell Wilson heavily.
“This man had been increasingly important to Russell Wilson,” said Leaf. “They were partners, and I don’t think enough people talked about it last year. This was the first season that he didn’t have Trevor. I tell people all the time, when you walk into a facility to train your body you get a trainer. You need a trainer to exercise the biggest muscle in your body, and that is the brain.”
Here’s some insight into the Russell Wilson season last year that I don’t think enough @Broncos fans or fans in general really knew about. Miss you @TrevorMoawad so, so much!!❤️🙏@StraightLinePod @PointsBetUSA pic.twitter.com/fJKxCi36u7
— Ryan D Leaf (@RyanDLeaf) February 24, 2023
Wilson’s relationship with Trevor Moawad dates all the way back to 2012 while he was preparing for the 2012 NFL Draft. Losing someone extremely close to you like Wilson did can certainly weigh heavily on you, and even perhaps explain some of his recent struggles on the field.
We saw how Tom Brady’s personal issues with his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen affected him this past season. Wilson could be going through his own personal issues, which have certainly been far less publicized.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.