Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate remains upset with Russell Wilson after the quarterback refused to defend him from rumours he slept with Wilson’s ex-wife Ashton Meem in 2014.
Tate has previously denied having an affair with Meem, but his comments this week on KJ ALL DAY went a step further, as he’s now singled out Wilson for letting him down after he departed the Seahawks. “There was a rumour out there that I was not coming back to the Seahawks because Ashton, Russell’s wife at the time, had an affair with me which was completely not true,” Tate said.
“In fact, my wife now (Elise Tate), and Ashton, were best friends and still are really good friends. In fact, Ashton came to our wedding. Russell and I had had conversations about his future, you know, in regards to that. So when I heard that, I was like that’s kind of creative and kind of funny. I feel like I was never defended properly and it kind of made me angry because now, everyone’s just coming at me completely sideways. It was a whole big situation and I just felt like a scapegoat in a way. I was bitter for years.”
The Pro Bowl pass catcher added: “Every time I saw Russell, I’d be so angry. Like, ‘How would you let this happen?’ I used to let you come over to my in-law’s house, for your birthday and my birthday, and we’d cook meals for you. And you don’t come to bat for me when something like this comes up? Knowing it’s the furthest thing from the truth?’ It just really, really hurt.”
Tate and Wilson were a dynamic pairing in 2012 and 2013, with the duo linking up for 109 pass completions, 1,586 yards and 12 touchdowns between those seasons. The Seahawks defeated the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl to cap Tate’s final campaign with the franchise before he signed with the Detroit Lions.
In Detroit, Tate delivered his three best NFL seasons for receiving yardage. He racked up 1,331 receiving yards in 2014 while amassing 1,077 in 2016 and 1,003 in 2017. The Notre Dame product last played in 2020 with the New York Giants. Wilson, meanwhile, left the Seahawks for the Broncos via trade before the 2022 campaign but struggled in his Mile High debut. Denver went 4-11 with him under centre, and he posted the second-worst yards-per-passing-attempt mark of his career (7.3).
Several of his former Seattle team-mates have made similarly critical comments of Wilson’s character, and KJ Wright told Tate on the podcast, “He got a lot of making up to do. He got a lot of phone calls to make… and that’s the God-honest truth.” Wilson divorced from Meem in 2014 and married Ciara in 2016. The 34-year-old shares three children with the singer-songwriter. Ciara used to date the rapper Future, who appeared to attack Wilson in a recent track.
