Seattle’s LGBTQ community members say they hope that this Friday’s World Cup “Pride Match” between Egypt and Iran, two countries where homosexuality is criminalized, can be an opportunity to change minds.
Seattle, WA
Salk: The Seattle Seahawks' perfect fit in draft isn't who you think
It’s obvious what the Seattle Seahawks should do in the NFL Draft: they should improve their offensive line.
What style of lineman fits new Seahawks OC Grubb’s scheme?
Everyone knows it, too, which is why UW Huskies tackle/guard Troy Fautanu is going to them more at No. 16 in mock drafts than any other player. He’d be an incredible fit and of course that is what they should do next Thursday.
After all, we have all been beating the drum for improved line play for quite some time. It has been an issue in Seattle for nearly a decade and it takes a significant investment to improve. The more I watch, the more I’m convinced that line play is more important than system and scheme. Any attempt to run a consistent offense without competent play up front is an exercise in futility.
So they should draft Fautanu. If he comes right in and starts at guard, he will make them better immediately. And if either Charles Cross leaves in free agency or Abe Lucas’s knee keeps him from sustained success, Fautanu can move to tackle. He brings an element of nastiness, advanced technique and a familiarity with the offense under new Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who was UW’s OC the past two years. And after years of Fautanu playing on Montlake, he already knows the area. He’s perfect.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. The Seahawks need offensive line help and the ideal offensive lineman should be available to them when they pick at 16. This is the ultimate no-brainer.
Except …
There are other directions they could go. What if Fautanu gets picked before 16? What if they decide they need more picks and they need to trade back? What if defensive head coach like Mike Macdonald wants to improve his defense? And if that’s the case, of course they should draft a defensive lineman like Texas’ Byron Murphy. He’d be their version of what Macdonald had with Justin Madubuike in Baltimore, and players like that make everyone’s job easier around them.
So this easy. Either Fautanu or Murphy. Right?
Except …
Don’t they kind of need a quarterback? I mean, this is a draft that might have six potential franchise-changing options and the Seahawks could find their quarterback of the future. Next year’s draft class is not nearly as promising and you would hope not to be near the top of the draft again. So if UW’s Michael Penix Jr. is there, how could you not take him? Especially if Seahawks general manager/president of football operations John Schneider really believes that he is a special player that could change their future.
Nothing is more important than a franchise quarterback and I have a tremendous amount of faith in Schneider to identify his future leader. So if he loves Penix (or even Oregon’s Bo Nix), I am 100% on board and excited about the future.
So there you go. My public stance on the draft is easy. Draft Fautanu… or maybe Murphy. And if you fall in love with one of the quarterbacks, then take your chance and go big!
Except …
I have a secret. I want Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse.
On paper, the Seahawks don’t have the same kind of need for Verse that they would for Fautanu. Uchenna Nwosu is returning. Boye Mafe could be on the verge of developing into a real weapon. They used a second-round pick on Derick Hall and brought back Darrell Taylor. Plus, last year’s shiny free-agent addition Dre Jones can play outside. And there is a legitimate argument that none of those players have been utilized properly given the issues the Seahawks have had with their coaching staff the last few years.
On the other hand, they have a grand total of one Pro Bowl season among them, and it was as an alternate (Nwosu in 2022). Hall showed nothing as a rookie and Taylor is back on a minimum deal after severely disappointing last season. Yes, they have the position filled. But is it filled well?
Edge rusher may not be the Seahawks’ biggest need, but it is so valuable that I would throw that need right out the window. Verse is a freak athlete who is known to play with great motor and ferocious competitiveness.
Draft analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic described some of his strengths as:
• “Never feels like he is out of the play, because of outstanding hustle and effort.”
• “Plays with emotion.”
• “Has a strong support system built on hard work (added 40 pounds of muscle during the pandemic to move to the defensive line).”
• “Great teammate and quickly created a legacy in Tallahassee (before he transferred to FSU, he reached out to their defensive linemen to make sure they knew he wasn’t coming to steal their jobs).”
I highlighted these parts of Brugler’s draft profile on Verse because those are intangibles that this Seahawks team needs more of right now.
Verse is exactly the kind of player the Seahawks have been missing for quite some time. A true, top-tier pass rusher that deserves to be drafted in the first round and could change their defense both by setting an edge and by getting to the passer. And that comes with no concerns about his desire, competitiveness, or work ethic? With no concerns about his speed, strength or body type? With no concerns that he hasn’t done it at the highest level or been the beneficiary of other players getting the lion share of the attention?
There are some positions that should be off limits for the Seahawks in the first round this year. They absolutely do not need to spend more significant resources at receiver, running back, cornerback or safety. If they do, we should have a serious conversation about what is going on with this roster. The needs up front on both sides of that ball are obvious, and the possibility of adding a true franchise quarterback would obviously trump any other option.
I know what the Seahawks should do. That is obvious. And no one should criticize for a moment if they go in any of those directions. But secretly, I’ll be watching next week and hoping for Jared Verse. Don’t tell anyone.
More Seattle Seahawks draft coverage
• Final AP Mock NFL Draft: Edge with local tie to Seattle Seahawks?
• Rost: With Seattle Seahawks’ top draft pick, expect the unexpected
• Brock Huard’s Seahawks Draft Profile: Utah’s complete safety
• Huard reacts to Seahawks GM’s comments on drafting QB
• Wyman highlights UW Huskies LB as Seattle Seahawks draft target
SEATTLE — Seattle police are investigating a shooting that left a 17-year-old boy injured early Thursday morning in the High Point neighborhood.
At about 12:48 a.m., dispatchers received multiple reports of rapid gunfire near Sylvan Way Southwest and Southwest Morgan Street.
Officers arrived and found a 17-year-old boy suffering from a gunshot wound to the hip area. Medics transported the teen to Harborview Medical Center in serious but stable condition.
Before officers located the victim, they found a car that had crashed and become disabled near Sylvan Way Southwest and Delridge Way Southwest. Police said multiple suspects were seen running from the vehicle through a nearby Home Depot parking lot.
Officers cordoned off the area and searched for the suspects with assistance from the K-9 Unit, but were unable to locate them. Police recovered the vehicle and impounded it for processing.
During the incident, gunfire struck at least three vehicles and two buildings. No other injuries were reported.
Officers processed multiple nearby scenes and recovered evidence before clearing the area. Detectives with the Gun Violence Reduction Unit will lead the investigation.
Seattle, WA
Council eyes street barricades in fight against violence, sex trafficking in north Seattle
SEATTLE — The Seattle City Council is expected to vote next week on a plan that would give the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) the authority to close off street access for public safety reasons.
The proposal comes after months of outcry from residents in north Seattle who say sex traffickers and sex buyers are looping through the streets surrounding Aurora Avenue North.
The street-closure proposal passed the council’s Public Safety Committee on Tuesday and is expected to be voted on by the full council next week.
“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say the crime has gotten much worse, much more violent, and much more predator,” said District 5 councilmember Debora Juarez. “I think that we do have the authority to shut down a street for bullets flying and endangering the lives of those who live there.”
Frustrated neighbors have installed their own homemade barricades after a spate of gun violence between sex traffickers in May.
RELATED | SDOT removes street barricades near Aurora Ave; neighbors doubtful of temporary measures
Councilmember Bob Kettle says street closures will help tamp down sex buying in certain areas, but he emphasizes it must be accompanied by an increase in outreach and enforcement.
“We have to have a sustained effort,” Kettle told KOMO News. “My concern is for every action, there’s a reaction. We need to take this flex and then really attack it … because if we do just a bit and our attention wanders, we could have this conversation three months from now and we’re talking about the same thing.”
A 15-year-old boy was shot near 95th Street and Aurora Avenue North around 10:45 p.m. last night. The teen initially claimed he had been shot while walking down the street, but investigators now say he was shot by a passenger in his car.
RELATED | Seattle police say ‘drive-by’ on Aurora Ave. was actually passenger shooting teen driver
Kettle credited the city’s Real Time Crime Center cameras with helping investigators quickly piece together the events of the shooting.
“Just as important to finding out what happened, the cameras help police determine what did not happen,” Kettle said.
According to Seattle police data, reports of shootings and shots fired in the north precinct area are at their lowest levels since 2021.
Through the end of May, there were 48 total reports of shootings or shots fired, with one fatal shooting and seven nonfatal injury shootings.
That’s down from 63 total reports of shootings and shots fired – one fatal and seven injuries – in 2025; and 64 shootings or shots fired reports – one fatal and 17 injuries – in 2024.
At Tuesday’s committee meeting, councilmembers pointed out residents are calling for a new police precinct to be built on Aurora Avenue.
Ten years ago, a new North Precinct building was slated to be built at 130th Avenue and Aurora Avenue North to replace the existing precinct building, which was decades old and did not have enough space for the department’s needs.
Led by former councilmember Kshama Sawant, the “Block the Bunker” movement successfully got the North Precinct replacement project killed in city council.
Kettle said the city’s current financial issues make it essentially impossible to bring back a project similar to the one the previous council defeated.
“We have to connect the dots back,” Kettle said. “If we want to know why we are where we are today, we have to look at decisions made over the last two councils.”
Seattle, WA
Iran and Egypt to play in Seattle ‘Pride Match’ despite earlier complaints | The Jerusalem Post
Seattle revels in its reputation as a welcoming place and Pride flags are visible all over the city, all year round. Its June Pride weekend is one of the biggest in the United States.
So, ahead of December’s World Cup draw, it was only natural that local organizers designated the June 26 match to be held in the city as a “Pride Match.”
Then the draw happened — and the two teams scheduled to play the game were Egypt and Iran.
Egypt’s Football Association urged global soccer governing body FIFA to prevent any Pride-related activities, arguing such events clashed with the Muslim-majority country’s cultural and religious values. The governing body in Iran, where same-sex relations can carry the death penalty, filed an objection with FIFA.
Some in Seattle have doubts over the teams in the ‘Pride Match’
But in Seattle, there is no question that the Pride Match will go ahead as planned.
“The World Cup is going to come and go in three weeks,” Hedda McLendon, from Seattle’s local World Cup organizing committee, told Reuters. “The Pride celebration … has happened on this weekend for 50-plus years.
“It is going to happen this weekend, it is going to happen long after the World Cup.”
Some in the city’s LGBTQ community had mixed feelings given the participants, said Jon Cairns, 49, manager of local LGBTQ+ club Kremwerk.
Cairns, however, said his own view was that it provided a platform to promote acceptance that only the world’s biggest sporting event could offer.
“My reaction is let’s have them,” he told Reuters. “International sports is one of the biggest brokers historically of social change and individual rights and freedoms worldwide, including in the U.S.”
He cited black U.S. sprinter Jesse Owens’ four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany and Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ raised-fist protest in 1968 as moments where “only international sports could reach that big of an audience.”
“They’re not going to turn off the World Cup on state television in Iran or Egypt to block out a Pride flag in the audience,” Cairns said.
The Pride Match is “a host city initiative” and separate of FIFA, a spokesperson for soccer’s governing body told Reuters.
Seattle’s LGBTQ community sees an opportunity
Egypt and Iran’s involvement in the Pride Match is not the first time the World Cup has grappled with stark differences in attitudes between hosts and visitors.
In 2022 World Cup host Qatar, the emir said visitors should “respect our culture” when asked about gay people attending the tournament.
FIFA threatened yellow cards for captains wearing the “OneLove” armband, citing its rules against political slogans. Teams including England and the Netherlands that had been planning to wear the armbands to protest Qatar’s laws against same-sex relationships abandoned the plan.
For Ryan Webster, a 40-year-old lifestyle manager who was at Kremwerk the weekend before Pride, Seattle’s “Pride Match” was an opportunity to show solidarity with people in countries where their sexuality was outlawed.
“I’m choosing to believe that this is our moment to allow the members of the LGBTQ community that come from those countries to have the opportunity to celebrate themselves in totality that they might not have otherwise,” he said outside the club, which will host a watch party for Friday’s game.
Inside, ‘Venus Fengz’ lip-synced to Cher’s “Believe” before introducing fellow drag performers to the stage, clapped and cheered by a raucous crowd.
Fengz, who only wanted to provide their stage name, said Pride coinciding with the World Cup would bring increased visibility, anticipating perhaps some new audience members.
“I think it’s always great for us to be able to share space and share places with people who don’t have the same experiences as us,” they told Reuters.
“Sometimes you just have to be the bigger person and show grace where you can and know that everyone is a human learning (from) different experiences, but also it can get hard — because you’re on the shorter end of the stick, always trying to have to explain yourself around people who don’t grow up with the same worldview.”
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