Percy Harvin Says Golden Tate Acted 'Like A Kid' In Seattle
By Ashley Scoby
DETROIT (CBS Detroit) As Golden Tate heads into his second season as a Lion, his previous time in Seattle is still making news.
In an interview with Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News, Bills receiver Percy Harvin said Tate was threatened by his presence while both players, alongside Seahawks wide reciever Doug Baldwin, were battling for targets from Russell Wilson in 2013.
"It was a constant thing. It was something that got under my skin. I felt like they were acting like kids," Harvin said.
With Harvin calling Tate and Baldwin immature, this drama is just the latest chapter about a trio of 2013 Seahawks wideouts who have since split among three teams. Tate, who signed with the Lions before last season, was the first to go; Harvin followed suit when he was traded mid-season last year to the Bills. Baldwin, meanwhile, stuck around in Seattle to play in another Super Bowl appearance in February.
The Tate-Harvin relationship has hardly ever been a go-to example of brotherhood. Multiple reports following Super Bowl XLVIII confirmed that the two had fought before the game, leaving Tate with a black eye.
According to the latest comments from Harvin, that moment had been a long time coming, thanks to Tate feeling threatened by the snaps Harvin was getting. In the Buffalo News interview, Harvin says that Tate and Baldwin would switch their positions in practice so as to grab more receptions, and that they were both resistant of welcoming another wide receiver into the fold.
"We all played the same position," Harvin told Dunne. "So me coming in took reps from them."
Tate ended up being the Seahawks' leading receiver during their Super Bowl-winning season, catching 64 passes for 898 yards and five touchdowns. Harvin, who had hip surgery, only played in one game of the 2013 season, and Baldwin had 50 receptions for 778 yards and five touchdowns.
With rumors and snark continuing to flow from that 2013 season in Seattle, Tate is heading into his second year with Detroit alongside another high-profile receiver in Calvin Johnson. Last season, Tate started in all 17 games and caught 107 balls for 1,420 yards and five touchdowns, including six receptions and a score in the Lions' 24-20 playoff loss to Dallas. He'll be half of what is sure to be one of the best wide receiver tandems in the NFL with Johnson in 2015.
