Hawks Honor ET III With Largent Award

With 68,264 Seattle fans at a sold out CenturyLink Field staring down at him and Seahawks legend Steve Largent standing next to him on Sunday afternoon, Earl Thomas struggled to fight back a welling of tears.

Before Seattle’s 27-9 win over the St. Louis Rams, Earl was called before the crowd, where he was honored by his team with the Steve Largent Award, given annually given to the player who best exemplifies the spirit, dedication and integrity of the Seahawks.

“It was a moment I will never forget,” Earl said. “Just when you consider it was just me in the stadium and everybody (is looking at me). That’s crazy. You dream of stuff like that. It was a humbling experience. I kind of got emotional. I tried to hide it.”

The momentous occasion occurred just hours before ET III guided his squad to a victory that clinched the NFC West crown. After that win, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll characterized just why No. 29 represents what it means to be a Seahawk.

“If you can say persistence and constant in the same breathe that’s Earl,” Carroll said. “He has never backed off of bringing it. With studying, working, working out, mentality, the way he communicates, and we knew this about him coming out of Texas. Their coaches and the people at Texas talked about him as just a total team starter. He’d start the practice, he’d rev it all up and he was a guy that always brought that energy. He is that and he’s been so consistently impressive that I think our guys said hey ‘shoot yeah’. They couldn’t help but recognize him.”

Carroll also described the unique role Earl has played as a leader for the young players on the team. As his fourth NFL season winds to a close, ETIII is still just 24 years old. But his coach explained how No. 29 has been a beacon for the newcomers on the Puget Sound.

“I think also he’s been here long enough that there are young guys that are following him,” Carroll said. “There are young guys that are really trying to emulate the way he goes about it. I think Byron Maxwell is a really good example of that. His habits, his mentality, his focus, and the way he communicates about the game and all of that. All of that is just so obvious about the guy that I think they recognize that he’s that unique.”

The moment was particularly moving for Seattle’s young leader, because the award was presented by Largent himself— one of the greatest leaders in Seahawks history.

“I was shaking his hand and I’m like, ‘Man, this is the guy right here,'” Earl said. “I told him I wish I could hold him (in pass coverage) to see what kind of competitor he really is. We were just joking about that. But it was him, himself. That was a great experience.”

It was an exceptional moment from the perspective of Largent, who finished his career with 819 receptions, 13,089 receiving yards and 100 touchdowns, all franchise records. The Seattle legend lauded Earl, calling him the perfect candidate for the honor.

“Earl really is a quality guy,” Largent said. “You can see why he’s the defensive leader. He’s one of those guys who leads by example and he’s got the kind of character that you want to have in a leader.”

ETIII even gave a glimpse into his leadership as he was given the award. He was stopped on his way into the tunnel before the game, where he was headed to prepare for kickoff with his teammates.

“I was surprised. I didn’t even know they were doing it. They were like, ‘Earl, come here.’ I’m like, ‘What are they doing? They’re throwing me off my routine. I’ve got somewhere to be.'”

Eventually, after being moved nearly to tears, Earl got where he needed to be—and he and the Seahawks defense locked down to clinch a divisional crown and the top spot in the NFC playoff bracket.