There was no headline-making proposal this time around, but the fifth annual Earl Thomas III football camp in Orange, Texas this past weekend was a huge success nonetheless.

Earl’s alma mater, West Orange-Stark High School, played host to the event, and No. 29 had a tremendous time with his campers once again. The Seattle Seahawks safety explained to KFDM reporter Andrew Chernoff just why this camp means so much to him each and every year.

“It’s passing by. I played pop warner, now I’m in the league—it’s passing by really fast,” ET said. “But I’m happy with the turnout. Every year it gets better. I’m learning these kids. They’re learning me. The biggest thing that I want them to pick up is my competitive spirit, my competitive nature—and hopefully they compete in life.”

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The camp is free to all attendees and Earl has one basic rule: No one gets turned away. ET III recalled times when he was younger, when his family couldn’t afford to send him to such camps. That makes it that much more personally significant to him when he can return to his hometown and give back.

“I do this for one simple reason and one simple reason only—to give them hope. I don’t care if you don’t abide by the rules. Nobody is perfect. Come on and enjoy this camp. See some of the players around the league. Get to talk to them and and see how their personality is. Maybe we’ll rub off on some of these kids,” Earl said. “This is very special to me. It’s my hometown, something I’ve dreamed about when I was a little kid. I just want to impact the community anyway I can and I’m going to keep giving these little eggs of hope.”

This year, ET brought several NFL stars along with him, including Marshawn Lynch, Landon Collins, Kenny Vaccaro, Quandre Diggs, Alex Okafor and Quinten Rollins.

Appreciate the support at my 5th Annual Kids Camp!

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Teaching moment. #CampET

A photo posted by Earl Thomas III (@earl) on

Kids getting a chance to work with some of the NFL’s best DB’s @kennyvaccaro & @qdiggs6 #CampET

A video posted by Earl Thomas III (@earl) on

@thehumble_21 showing campers how to move their feet #CampET

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@beastmode showing no mercy on the youngsters….#CampET

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@qr_2 & @alexokafor working on ball skills with the kids #CampET

A video posted by Earl Thomas III (@earl) on

Now, it’s back to work for the former Texas Longhorn. At last year’s camp, Earl got down on one knee and proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Nina. This year’s offseason has been busy for the couple: a wedding and a European honeymoon.

“It’s cool,” Earl said of married life. “I’ve gained about 15 pounds that I need to lose. The season’s right around the corner, so I’ve got to get right back to work.”

The focus now shifts to Seattle. Earl will host another camp there in late June, and in the meantime, he’ll get back to the grind with another Super Bowl title in mind.

“With the personnel we have, with our competitive mindset, the way we practice, the way we love each other—the sky is the limit for us,” ET said. “I don’t know if you remember, back in 2012, right before we won our first Super Bowl, we lost to Atlanta. It was similar. So guys have their fire back, and we want it.”

RELATED LINKS

  • Catching up with Earl Thomas (KFDM, Jun. 26, 2016)
  • Seattle Seahawks’ Earl Thomas hosts camp in Orange (Beaumont Enterprise, Jun. 26, 2016)
  • Earl Thomas hosts fifth annual football camp in West Orange (KFDM, Jun. 26, 2016)