Seahawks fans still proud to wear No. 51

RENTON — Charlie Weinheimar barely gave it a second thought when his 9-year-old son pulled on a No. 51 Seattle Seahawks jersey Saturday morning.

That Brody Weinheimar’s favorite player had been charged with driving under the influence three months earlier was of little consequence to Charlie, his father. Charlie Weinheimar had heard that Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu had apologized for his crime, and that was good enough for him.

“That was important, especially in a celebrity status,” said Weinheimar, a Seahawks fan from Lynden. “In sports, par for the course would be to talk their way out of it or to make excuses. I haven’t followed it real closely, but I haven’t seen that from (Tatupu). And as far as I know, this was a first-time thing for him.”

Despite Tatupu’s high-profile arrest in May, his popularity seems as high as ever. His No. 51 jersey was the most heavily-displayed piece of apparel at Saturday’s preseason home opener — and no other uniform number was even close.

“We’re behind him all the way — 100 percent,” said Jordan Potter, a 23-year-old fan from Tacoma who also donned the No. 51 jersey, “unless he got caught up in rape or something like that.”

Potter added that the driving under the influence arrest is “important because he’s risking other people’s lives. But he knows he made a mistake. He was sincere about his apology.”

A small group of fans polled at Saturday’s game — all of whom were wearing No. 51 — were mostly in support of the Seahawks’ 25-year-old Pro Bowler.

“It doesn’t really bother me,” Seattle resident Tom Higgins said of Tatupu’s arrest. “It happens.”

Orango County resident Steve Underwood was the most critical of Tatupu, but he also wore the No. 51 jersey with no hint of shame.

“Being a high profile person, he’s got to be more careful,” Underwood said. “He’s under a more watchful eye. … (The public apology) helps a little bit, but still. If you’re going to play in the NFL, you’ve got to be careful about your conduct.”

More than three months have passed since Tatupu was arrested for suspicion of DUI, a charge to which he eventually pled guilty and had to spend a day in jail. Tatupu issued a statement of apology shortly after the arrest and stood before cameras and microphones on the first day of training camp while making similar statements.

The apologies, fans say, helped restore his image.

“Whoever it is, a movie star or whoever, people are going to make mistakes,” Potter said. “He’s a good player, and people care a lot about him, but people make mistakes.”

Tatupu said Monday that he has appreciated the support. He is just as contrite as ever, and it’s apparent that the son of former NFL player Mosi Tatupu is still embarrassed by the arrest.

“Most of my life, I’ve been one of those people who really don’t care what people think as far as the critics and things like that,” he said. “But as far as supporters, I care very much what they think.

“I always tried to do the right thing growing up. My dad, he had a good name and a good thing going. He worked hard at being the best man he could, on and off the field. I tried to uphold that my whole life.”

Tatupu’s reputation may have taken a small hit, but many of his fans are still behind him. For that, Tatupu said, he is grateful.

“People make mistakes, and I did,” Tatupu said on Monday. “I’m just thankful they could find it in their hearts to forgive me. It means the world to me to see somebody wearing my jersey. The fact that they actually spent their hard-earned money for me and the Seahawks, there’s no better feeling.

“That’s what hurt the most: those people that really believed in me, letting them down. I’m glad they haven’t turned their back on me and they’re still putting my name on their backs.”

While no one wants to minimize the significance of Tatupu’s crime — least of all, Tatupu himself — there are plenty of people who are willing to forgive the three-time Pro Bowler because his DUI was an isolated incident on an otherwise clean record.

“I’m glad people know who I really am and that it’s something that will never happen again,” Tatupu said on Monday. “It’s something that I’m truly sorry about.”