Seahawks’ mistake with Percy Harvin wasn’t the way teammates treated him

Former Seahawks receiver Percy Harvin said he was used to handling things “man to man” during an interview on ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday.

In fact, he said that’s what he tried to do with Doug Baldwin, a reference to the altercation the two had last August during training camp.

Well, if that’s the case, then here’s what handling things “man to man” means to Harvin:

1. First, you start shouting curse words while charging toward a teammate in the weight room to the point that your position coach is among those who act to restrain you, grabbing you and walking you out to the practice field.

2. Then, you wait several minutes, making yourself at least appear calm before re-entering the facility.

3. Once inside, you erupt again, lashing out before you’re pushed back out to the practice field by a member of the coaching staff, this time with blood on your hands.

4. Finally, you get walked around to the players’ parking lot and off the premises.

Does that sound like a man-to-man way to handle things?
Because that’s what happened in that altercation. Harvin erupted, was walked out to the field, talked down and then went back in only to lash out physically at Baldwin.

This was last August, three days before the Seahawks played at Oakland in their final preseason game. I was told of the fight at the time, but could not get anyone to serve as the source for a report on it.

At least not until now.

The circumstances changed after Harvin’s interview with ESPN on Wednesday from Bills training camp when he claimed Seattle’s receivers never really accepted him. In fact, he stated that Baldwin’s account – in which he confirmed two days after the trade that an altercation happened – wasn’t accurate.

The truth is that Seattle’s players pretty much circled their wagons through the first month of last season in an effort to keep any dysfunction involving Harvin from coming to light. In fact, that cone of silence extended back to the previous season.

I never heard that Harvin tackled Golden Tate from behind in the days leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII in New York until after the trade. And even after the altercation with Baldwin, everyone around the team stayed mum on the exact timeline in which Harvin erupted in anger, was walked out to calm down and then came back in only to act on his earlier impulse once Baldwin was in striking distance.

In fact, I made a point to seek out Baldwin in the visitor’s locker room in Oakland after the final exhibition game. I had heard about the altercation, but had been unable to confirm it. After the Oakland game – days after the altercation – Baldwin not only refused to so much as acknowledge there was anything amiss with the receivers, but he went out of his way to praise Harvin when asked about an entirely different subject. I asked him to talk about the difference in the team’s offense that season.

“We’re a lot more efficient in general so I just think it’s growth as a whole,” Baldwin said. “Plus, we’ve got Percy. Percy’s playing a prominent role in the offense so that adds an element we didn’t have last year.”

Not only was Baldwin willing to accept Harvin as a teammate, he was willing to do it three days after Harvin had punched him. Of all the mistakes that Seattle made in regard to acquiring Harvin, the way his teammates treated him was not among them.

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