Ken Norton Jr. becomes the latest Seattle Seahawks fall guy
Ken Norton Jr. is moving on, and the 12’s seem to be rejoicing. Is it a deserved response, or did Norton shoulder the blame for the sins of others?
When I was a kid, I don’t remember exactly how old, I read The Whipping Boy in school. I highly recommend it to parents; it’s a sometimes funny and sometimes dark book about compassion. In the book, Jemmy takes the beatings earned by Prince Horace because it’s a crime to strike the prince. Now the Seattle Seahawks reality is mirroring fiction.
Well 12s, word came down that Head Coach Pete Carroll and General Manager John Schneider decided it’s time to part ways with their in-house Jemmy. Reportedly, Norton Jr. was relieved of his duties as defensive coordinator and designated team scapegoat.
The #Seahawks are planning to move on from DC Ken Norton Jr., per @bcondotta. pic.twitter.com/XmDyIvQk5Z
— Seattle ON Tap (@SeattleONTap) January 18, 2022
No one can argue that he wasn’t a champion. The son of heavyweight champion Ken Norton, one of a select few that defeated Muhammad Ali, Junior was an All-American linebacker at UCLA. Norton then went on to the NFL and became a two-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler. After winning two Super Bowls in Dallas, he got his third ring in San Francisco. Finally, he won a national championship at USC as an assistant coach then earned a fourth Super Bowl ring in Seattle as part of Carroll’s staff.
After Dan Quin left to coach the Atlanta Falcons, Carroll chose Kris Richard to lead the defense, and Norton moved on to Oakland. He lasted less than two seasons with the Raiders and was let go in November 2017 after his defense went almost 11 weeks without creating a turnover. During Norton’s tenure as DC, the silver and black defenses can be described as uneven at best.
🗣Let's go, let's go!
Listen in as DC Ken Norton Jr. brought the intensity to rookie minicamp. pic.twitter.com/EJzh6hQyM0
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) June 19, 2018