Seahawks' Tyler Lockett teams up with NFL stars to deliver powerful poem on social injustice

Tyler Lockett teams up with NFL stars to deliver powerful poem on social injustice   originally appeared on NBC Sports Northwest

Tyler Lockett is one of Russell Wilson’s most potent offensive weapons.

The Seattle Seahawks wideout is coming off one of his best seasons, setting a franchise record with 100 catches while adding 1,054 yards and 10 touchdowns for Seattle in 2020.

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But Lockett’s purpose isn’t merely defined by his success on the football field. The 28-year-old also writes and rehearses poetry in his spare time to share his perspective on topics such as identity, sports and race.

In recognition of Black History Month, Lockett released an insightful poem titled “Reality vs. Perception,” which discusses the state of social injustice in America. Lockett got some help from some familiar faces in Aaron Donald, Saquon Barkley, Adrian Peterson, and his teammate Quandre Diggs, to deliver the powerful spoken word.

When I look in the mirror, I see more than a Black man

But what do you see, America?

An entertainer? An athlete? 

What else do you see? 

A gangbanger? A drug dealer? A criminal? What else do you see?

A liar? A thief? What else do you see?

A criminal? A lowlife?

Why not a lawyer? Why not a doctor? Why not a son? Why not a father?

This isn’t the first time Lockett has used poetry to express himself.

The Seahawks star released a book titled “Reflection” in 2019 which featured a sundry of poems on topics including relationships, suicide, anxiety and depression.

“If you talk about somebody else’s scars, they feel like they’re the victim, and they feel like you’re coming at them,” Lockett told NBCSNW’s Joe Fann. “If you talk about yourself and share your own scars, they’ll listen more, and the conversation becomes more transparent.”