Carolina Panthers

Panthers troll Russell Wilson with Future songs, Future dances

Published Jan. 17, 2016 3:29 p.m. ET

Sam Gardner

It's rather well known that Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is dating R&B star Ciara.

It's also equally public knowledge that Ciara, who sang the national anthem at Monday's CFP championship game, was once engaged to and had a baby with Atlanta-born rapper Future.

And on Sunday, both before and during the Seahawks' NFC divisional playoff game against the Carolina Panthers, the Panthers did their best to remind Wilson about his girlfriend's ex at every possible opportunity -- all while rap fans around the world took a first listen to Future's new mixtape, which conspicuously dropped just hours before Seattle and Carolina took the field.

It all started early Sunday morning when Future, who in September collaborated with Drake to release "What a Time to Be Alive", rolled out his latest effort, a 13-track mixtape titled "Purple Reign". And though the timing could have been purely coincidental, it is perhaps not surprising that Wilson, with whom Future is known to have beef, was scheduled to play Sunday afternoon.

Then during pregame warmups the Panthers' in-house DJ stoked the fire, playing several Future songs as the Seahawks, including Wilson, got loose on the field:

They got Future tracks in rotation ??? #PantherNation pic.twitter.com/dgwRfPjrxa
— Petty Ginn Jr (@iCantGetWright) January 17, 2016

Then just for good measure, defensive back Tre Boston trolled Wilson even further, busting out a dance from Future's video for his song "Where Ya At" after a second-quarter sack of the Seahawks quarterback:

#Panthers trolled Russell Wilson with a sack dance from a Future video. #SEAvsCAR #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/NqI6BF57yR
— Luke Rodgers (@thelukerodgers) January 17, 2016

It's tough to say definitively whether Wilson was thrown off by the mixtape, the pregame song selection or Boston's prodding, but in the first half against Carolina, he sure didn't look like himself, throwing two picks as the Panthers rolled out to a 31-0 halftime lead.

In the second half, Wilson and the Seahawks at least attempted to make a game of things, scoring 24 unanswered to end the game to lose just 31-24. Still, you've got to imagine that somewhere, Future is getting a good laugh out of Seattle's performance and the Panthers' commitment to making Wilson's day miserable.