Payton is simply being politically correct. They don't need to make a decision on Russell until March at the earliest, so why come out and say anything besides what he said, ie that a decision hasn't been made?
Some here are quick to point out the obvious, that Russell is no longer on our team and that his plight no longer has any effect on us whatsoever, so why should we care? My answer to that question is that it is an interesting drama, not unlike a former neighbor or former co-worker still draws our interest even though we no longer live next to them or work with them anymore, so as a result, if I see an article on Russell, I'll always click on it.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I have mixed emotions about this real life soap opera. On the one hand, Russell deserves every bit of this ridicule and failure. IMO the way he left the Seahawks was disgraceful, outright lying to his fans as to his intentions, soaking up the limelight, posting all sorts of personal stuff on social media, constantly displaying his cringy-ness with his Dangerwich and knee highs on airliners.
But on the other hand, there are a lot worse people in this world than Russell Wilson, and I feel bad rooting against one of the good guys.
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