As the Super Bowl looms over New York City, an old accusation is once again looming over Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll: It's rumored he's a 9/11 truther.
In June, Deadspin ran an article — republishing it last week — detailing a meeting Carroll had with recently retired four-star Army General Peter Chiarelli. The conversation, which reportedly started off friendly, escalated when the topic switched to Iraq.
“So did the discussion last year turn hostile? A source close to Chiarelli, one who wasn’t present when he spoke to Carroll, told us that it did," Deadspin reported. "He said the general had to leave the room because Carroll had rankled him so thoroughly.”
SEATTLE, WA - JANUARY 19: Head coach Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks looks on before the Seahawks take on the San Francisco 49ers during the 2014 NFC Championship at CenturyLink Field on January 19, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
According to Deadspin, the Seahawks coach grilled the retired general over the legitimacy of the official 9/11 story.
“In particular, Carroll wanted to know whether the attack on the Pentagon had really happened. Chiarelli—who was the top-ranking Army official inside the Pentagon when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into its western side—explained that it had," the June report said. "He said he had lost many colleagues. But Carroll didn’t stop there. He ran through the whole 9/11 truther litany."
[sharequote align="center"]"'Every 9/11 conspiracy theory you can think of, Pete asked about.'"[/sharequote]
The Deadspin report went on:
'Every 9/11 conspiracy theory you can think of, Pete asked about,' said Riki Ellison, the former NFL linebacker who now runs the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance and introduced Carroll to Chiarelli. Ellison, along with Seahawks offensive line coach Pat Ruel, was at the meeting as well. 'And he didn’t stop at 9/11—he had lots of questions about the role of the military today.'
It does not appear that Carroll ever responded to the allegations made in the June Deadspin article.
The resurfacing of the story comes as Carroll prepares to lead the Seahawks in their second franchise appearance at the Super Bowl — in New York.
This week, popular Seattle-born rapper Maclemore also garnered attention for a tweet he sent out in 2009, saying former President George W. Bush was behind 9/11.
[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/macklemore/statuses/4085475013"]
--
Follow Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) on Twitter
