Seattle Seahawks’ Russell Wilson mourns loss of mental-conditioning coach, ‘best friend’ Trevor Moawad
RENTON, Wash. – Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson got emotional Thursday when he remembered Trevor Moawad, a member of his inner circle, who died of cancer this week at the age of 48.
Moawad was Wilson’s longtime mental conditioning trainer, business partner and, in the quarterback’s words, his best friend.
When asked about Moawad during his weekly press conference, Wilson paused, cleared his throat, and initiated his response by telling reporters the topic may be difficult for him to talk about.
“When I think of my relationship with Trevor, I think of a humble man, I think of a man who always served, who always gave back, who was always committed to working and helping everyone,” said Wilson. “And to everyone he helped it seemed like they were getting better and better.”
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Wilson spoke about Moawad for eight minutes, first remembering his meeting in 2012. Wilson trained a role that included mental conditioning with aspiring NFL players at IMG Academy, where Moawad was the performance director, prior to the NFL draft . He then told Wilson that the quarterback’s thoughts would part him. They began working together on a regular basis after Wilson’s professional day.
“From that moment on, he’s my best friend,” said Wilson of their first meeting at IMG. “We’ve spent so much time together, from the highest, highest, highest of the highest moments to some of the lowest moments. Right up to the moments we won the Super Bowl, to the moment I won it unfortunately didn’t win. He was always there for me. He’s a guy who always gave me a perspective and gave me knowledge and insights. “
Wilson credits Moawad for helping him overcome the Seahawks’ stunning Super Bowl XLIX defeat to the New England Patriots, which was decided when Malcolm Butler Wilson intercepted at the goal line. Wilson immediately left Seattle for his San Diego area home, where Moawad moved in for about a month. Over dinner, they talked about how this moment shouldn’t affect the rest of Wilson’s career.
Wilson often cites the meaning of “neutral thinking,” a concept introduced to him by Moawad. He told ESPN in 2019 that his work with Moawad is “one of the most important things I do”.
A native of Lakewood, Washington, Moawad also worked for the Jacksonville Jaguars as well as several college programs including Alabama, Georgia, and Florida State.
He and Wilson were among the co-founders of a business coaching consultancy called Limitless Minds, which brings Moawad’s teaching to the corporate world. The company tweeted a statement overnight saying Moawad had “quietly and bravely fought cancer with grace and strength” for the past two years.
“He hid it in the sense that he didn’t want to influence other people,” said Wilson. “He didn’t want people to feel bad for him or feel sorry for him, and I said to him, ‘Trevor, man, people love you.'”
Wilson recalled some of the things Moawad said to him on a regular basis, including an oft-repeated phrase, “The best is ahead.”
Wilson’s voice became a little uncertain as he ended his press conference with words of appreciation for Moawad: “The last thing I’ll say is, Trev, thank you. I thank you. I wish I could talk to you one more time. We’ll meet Again. We’ll meet Again. The best lies ahead of us. “