Seahawks QB Russell Wilson admits getting jitters in front of large crowd

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson can sure keep a cool head during a tight situation on the field, but that calm demeanor briefly escaped him when he was facing thousands of graduates.

Wilson gave a commencement address at the University of Wisconsin in May. He said that speech was a “pretty nerve-racking experience.”

“I don’t really get nervous for anything,” Wilson told 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock and Salk.

Related: Russell Wilson ranks No. 18 on Forbes’ highest-paid athletes list

However, when the Seahawks QB walked on stage, things were a bit different — at least for a few minutes. “I realized I was wearing this awkward robe …” he said. He was standing in front of 50,000-plus people.

About 30 minutes into the ceremony, Wilson said he started to get into his own head. He was only three to four minutes away from speaking:

“I’m like, oh man, hopefully I don’t mess up and have a good flow and have a good energy,” he said.

Then:

“I’m saying, ‘I’m made for this,'” Wilson said. “… All the nerves went away.”

He kept his cool and gave the speech, which was praised for being both “absolutely fantastic” and a little loose on the facts.

Wilson admits that the open letter to his sister, Anna Wilson, was actually more difficult to craft.

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