Peterson drawn to success
KIRKLAND – Julian Peterson had grown tired of watching Super Bowls from his San Francisco-area home.
As he watched the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers do battle last February, he started to get this feeling his NFL career might pass him by without ever having the chance to perform on the game’s biggest stage.
Having already decided he’d had enough of the San Francisco 49ers’ constant rebuilding, the 27-year-old Peterson had a pretty good idea of where he might want to go next.
“You saw (the Seahawks) going to the Super Bowl and heading the right direction. That’s where I was at at one time, and it just went all downhill,” said the six-year veteran and two-time Pro Bowl linebacker. “I wasn’t ready for the rebuilding project again. I’ve done that.”
Peterson is one of two new Seahawks seeking greener pastures after being part of franchises on the decline. He and former Minnesota Vikings receiver Nate Burleson know all too well that disappointment runs deeper than a loss in the Super Bowl.
Just a chance to play in a Super Bowl was enough motivation for both players to sign with the Seahawks.
“When you talk about the type of organization they have here,” Burleson said, “it really wasn’t a hard decision to make.”
“I’m not going to be playing for another 10 years,” Peterson added. “I need someone who has an opportunity to play in the playoffs and compete for a Super Bowl.”
Seahawks, Texas A&M settle
In a joint statement, Texas A&M and the Seahawks announced they have reached an out-of-court settlement regarding the use of the 12th Man trademark.
According to the statement, the two sides have “agreed on the scope of Seattle’s future use” of the trademark.
The Seahawks will be allowed to continue using it in a similar fashion as long as they do not try to profit from anything that specifically uses “12th Man” without a trademark symbol.
“Our fans won’t really notice any change in what we do,” CEO Tod Leiweke said. “But we have reached an agreement with Texas A&M, and we’re really glad that’s happened.”
Texas A&M has a history of calling its football fans “the 12th Man” that dates back to 1922. The Aggies did not trademark the logo until 1990, and again in 1996, but Leiweke pointed out the Seahawks have been featuring the 12th Man in marketing campaigns since 1984.
Leiweke said there had been private discussions between the two sides prior to this year. But not until January, after the Seahawks’ 13-3 season led to a higher profile for the franchise and its fans, did Texas A&M file a lawsuit attempting to block Seattle from using the trademark.
With Monday’s agreement, Texas A&M has agreed to drop the lawsuit.
Leiweke said the Seahawks were determined to keep the 12th Man marketing campaign because of its importance to the fans.
“It’s meant a lot to us,” Leiweke said. “Teams have annual marketing slogans, but we wanted something that would become a part of the franchise.”
Texas A&M came up with The 12th Man after a 1922 game against Centre College. The Aggies were so besieged by injuries in that game that they had to call a former football player named E. King Gill out of the stands to serve as a reserve on the sideline.
When the game ended, Gill was the only player remaining on the A&M sideline, and thus became known as The 12th Man.