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
Seattle Seahawks Preview: Outside LBs look to wreak havoc
Every day between now and the Sept. 8 season opener, we at Seattle Sports are previewing each of the Seattle Seahawks’ 11 position groups. Today, we take a look at the outside linebackers.
Rost: What if we’re wrong about Seahawks QB Geno Smith?
Links to our other position group previews will be included here as they are posted: Quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, defensive line, inside linebacker, cornerback, safety and special teams.
Roster breakdown
Projected starters: Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe
Projected backups: Dre’Mont Jones, Derick Hall, Trevis Gipson
Offseason summary
Who’s in: Seattle acquired Trevis Gipson from the Jacksonville Jaguars in an Aug. 26 trade.
Who’s out: The Seahawks traded former second-round pick Darrell Taylor to the Chicago Bears on Aug. 23. Devin Bush Jr. departed in free agency after one season in Seattle and the Seahawks released Frank Clark last December after a brief two-month reunion with him.
2024 outlook
This position group might have a larger gap between its floor and ceiling than any other unit on the team. Much of that is due to the uncertain status of Uchenna Nwosu, who suffered a knee injury in the preseason finale. It’s good news that Nwosu avoided landing on the physically unable to perform list, which indicates there’s a chance he might not miss the entirety of the four-week minimum that’s required by the PUP list. But given how significantly Seattle’s defense cratered after Nwosu’s season-ending pectoral injury last year, it’s imperative that he makes a relatively quick recovery. The other uncertainty is Dre’Mont Jones, who was sidelined for most of the past month with a pair of injuries. However, Jones reportedly was suited up during warmups for Monday’s practice, which is a good sign heading into Sunday’s season opener.
If Nwosu and Jones are both healthy for the long run, this group has considerable potential – especially with the influx of new head coach Mike Macdonald’s cutting-edge scheme, which excels at creatively mixing up pressures to confuse opposing offenses. During his last fully healthy season in 2022, Nwosu had 9.5 sacks. Boye Mafe is coming off a breakout nine-sack campaign. Jones had a bit of an underwhelming first season in Seattle last year, but totaled 18.5 sacks over his previous three seasons with the Denver Broncos. And if 2023 second-round pick Derick Hall can parlay a strong preseason into a breakout second year, this unit could really take off. This group also figures to benefit from a pair of additions at defensive tackle, as rookie first-round pick Byron Murphy II and veteran Johnathan Hankins should help improve Seattle’s struggling run defense and create more pass-rushing opportunities for Nwosu, Mafe, Jones & Co.
Uchenna Nwosu | 6-2, 251 | Age: 27 | 7th year
2023 stats: 2 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, 6 QB hits, 2 forced fumbles (6 games)
Nwosu is expected to miss the start of the season after suffering a knee injury in the preseason finale. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out, but the fact Seattle didn’t place him on the PUP list suggests there’s a chance he could return prior to Week 5. The Seahawks certainly hope he can make a quick recovery, as the past two seasons showed just how valuable he is to this defense.
After spending his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, Nwosu had a career-best 2022 campaign in Seattle, totaling 9.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss. However, his absence was greatly felt last year following a season-ending pectoral injury in Week 7. In the six games he played, the Seahawks allowed 3.5 yards per carry and 6.6 yards per pass attempt. In the 11 games he missed, those numbers skyrocketed to 5.0 yards per carry and 7.7 yards per pass attempt. Nwosu’s health could be one of the most important storylines to follow this fall.
Boye Mafe | 6-4, 261 | Age: 25 | 3rd year
2023 stats: 9 sacks, 9 tackles for loss, 16 QB hits, 1 forced fumble, 6 pass breakups (16 games)
After spending most of his 2022 rookie season in a reserve role, Mafe exploded onto the scene with a breakout campaign last fall. The former second-round pick recorded a team-high nine sacks, while becoming just the third player in NFL history to post at least one sack in seven consecutive games. He also filled the stat sheet with nine tackles for loss, six pass breakups and a forced fumble. However, Mafe’s overall production dropped off in the second half of the season, with just two sacks and two tackles for loss over the final eight games. That mostly coincided with Nwosu’s absence, which enabled opponents to devote more attention to Mafe. With Nwosu expected to return at some point early in the season and a new scheme that could free up more pass-rushing opportunities, Mafe has star potential and could reach double-digit sacks.
Dre’Mont Jones | 6-3, 281 | Age: 27 | 6th year
2023 stats: 4.5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, 12 QB hits (17 games)
When the Seahawks inked Jones to a three-year, $51 million contract in March 2023, it represented the most expensive free-agent acquisition of the Carroll era. The former third-round pick was coming off a strong first four seasons in Denver, totaling 22 sacks and 28 tackles for loss. However, his debut season in Seattle was somewhat underwhelming, at least relative to his massive deal. Jones posted 4.5 sacks and five tackles for loss, both of which were the lowest since his 2019 rookie campaign.
Jones is a prime candidate to benefit from Macdonald’s versatile scheme, given his ability to play both inside and outside. Last year, Jones primarily played defensive tackle for the first half of the season and then moved outside in the second half, due to Nwosu’s injury and the midseason acquisition of standout defensive lineman Leonard Williams. This year, he’s expected to remain outside for the majority of his snaps. But he’s also expected to move around on more of a play-by-play basis, which could create more advantageous matchups for him to exploit with his versatility. Jones missed most of the past month with a pair of injuries, but was in uniform during warmups for Monday’s practice, according to ESPN’s Brady Henderson.
Derick Hall | 6-3, 254 | Age: 23 | 2nd year
2023 stats: 0 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, 5 QB hits, 1 pass breakup (17 games)
Could Hall follow in Mafe’s footsteps and experience a second-year breakout? Like Mafe, Hall was a second-round pick. And like Mafe, Hall played in a reserve role as a rookie last year. Hall didn’t record a sack and he struggled against the run, missing four tackles and posting the worst Pro Football Focus run defense grade among qualified edge defenders. However, Hall did produce three tackles for loss and five quarterback hits. And he flashed this preseason, delivering one sack, eight quarterback hurries and a highlight-reel play where he blew up an attempted block by a tight end. If he can build on his strong preseason showing, Hall might be primed to make a leap this fall.
Trevis Gipson | 6-4, 263 | Age: 27 | 5th year
2023 stats (with Tennessee): 1 sack, 0 tackles for loss, 0 QB hits, 1 forced fumble (8 games)
The Seahawks acquired Gipson in an Aug. 26 trade with Jacksonville as a cheaper replacement for former second-round pick Darrell Taylor, who they traded away just three days prior. Gipson, a fifth-round pick by Chicago in 2020, spent his first three seasons with the Bears. He started 19 games in 2021 and 2022, while totaling 10 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 18 quarterback hits, five pass breakups and five forced fumbles over those two seasons. Then after being released by Chicago, he spent the 2023 season with Tennessee and played sparingly for the Titans, logging one sack in just 76 defensive snaps. He then signed with the Jaguars in March. Gipson could play quite a bit early on, with Nwosu expected to miss the start of the season.
More on the Seattle Seahawks
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• Seattle Seahawks Preview: Can much-maligned O-line take step forward?
• Seattle Seahawks Preview: What will new-look TE group provide?
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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