Professional athletes are often an eccentric group. They can be superstitious, paranoid, prone to bouts of mega-ego and shattered confidence and to saying things that those of us outside of their insular world can consider to be remarkably strange. Take, for instance, the curious case of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
It’s not Wilson’s claim that a higher power spoke directly to him following the Seahawks’ February Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots that is problematic, nor is his demand—again, guided by a higher power—that he and current celebrity girlfriend, Ciara, remain celibate until they are married. These are harmless quirks, if anything. They make for entertaining headlines.
But the latest headline Wilson is making may seem entertaining, but it’s anything but harmless. An extensive profile by Rolling Stone magazine, released this week, saw Wilson at one point crediting Reliant Recovery Water for the overnight healing of a concussion he suffered last year and for also healing the injured knee of a teammate.
Recovery Water, which sells for $3.00 a bottle, allegedly contains “nanobubbles” and electrolytes that don’t just help people recover from physical activity, like Gatorade or other sports drinks claim to do, but actually heal injuries. And Wilson truly believes in this so-called miracle cure, although it’s important to note that he himself has invested in it, so that could certainly be the reason why he endorses it.
“I banged my head during the Packers game in the playoffs, and the next day I was fine. It was the water,” he said to Rolling Stone’s Stephen Rodrick. And though he quickly followed that statement up with, “Well, we’re not saying we have real medical proof,” Wilson took to Twitter on Wednesday and backed up his claim further.
I believe @Recovery_Water helped prevent me from getting a concussion based on a bad hit! 😇 #NanoBubbles
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) August 26, 2015
Though Wilson said to Rodrick that “I know it works,” making a claim such as this is a dangerous one. This isn’t simply shilling a product. This isn’t a back brace that contains copper that claims to assist with mobility or a razor that can trim every single one of Brett Favre’s unwanted hairs away. This is a quarterback in a league with a concussion problem and with lawsuit after lawsuit filed by former players and their families claiming that the NFL knowingly covered up the long-term effects of suffering concussions in order to continue to make billions of dollars unfettered. Wilson saying that this water can cure—yes, cure—a concussion overnight actually puts people in danger.
Celebrity and athlete endorsements exist for a reason—simply because of athletes’ seals of approval, as fans will often unquestioningly buy the products they are pitching. For all the jokes we can make about Wilson’s Recovery Water and the claims he has made about it, there will be people who do buy this product and believe that it can treat and even cure injuries, from knee sprains to concussions. This isn’t just a matter of naive marketing; this is something dangerous and irresponsible that Wilson has gotten wrapped himself up in. And more tweets like that one could lead to lawsuits down the road.
Wilson is free to endorse any product he chooses, whether because he believes in its efficacy or usefulness, or simply because the price was right. But his lapse in judgement by choosing to promote—and believe in—a bubbly water that can cure concussions and other ailments can actually cause direct harm to others. It could cause harm to himself, as well, because if he really thinks the routine and often devastating injuries suffered in the NFL can be cured by a bottle of water, on-field recklessness could follow from his reckless choice of endorsement.
Wilson’s quirks can be entertaining, but this very public misstep sends the wrong message about his intentions and about his understanding of the risks of playing football.