Cleveland fans waited three hours to hear Joe Thomas’ speech, and it was worth it
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
CANTON
Throughout his Hall of Fame weekend, Joe Thomas was always last in the order of the nine inductees making up the Class of 2023.
On Friday night, he waited until last to walk the gauntlet of 106 Hall of Famers en route to receiving his gold jacket on stage from, of all people, former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis.
At Saturday’s induction ceremonies, he was the last to give his speech – more than three hours after Miami linebacker Zach Thomas led off.
And Joe wasn’t going to cheat himself once he took the podium on the huge stage in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Thomas spoke for 20 minutes – longer than anyone – and the pro-Cleveland crowd ate up every word.
Joe Thomas and wife Annie unveil the bronze bust that will reside in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (TheLandOnDemand)
Joe got choked up twice during his speech. Both times involved references to his mom and dad, and wife Annie, and four children, all of whom were featured in the pre-recorded video preceding his speech.
Three minutes in, Joe acknowledged his dad, Eric. He stammered and started to cry, before commanding himself, “Stop it!” and picked up his thought.
“Dad, I watched you go to work every single day, no matter what,” Thomas said. “No matter the circumstances, there were no complaints. It’s just what you did. As an offensive lineman, it’s just what you do – we go to work. I remember you strapping skis on in a Milwaukee blizzard to go to work. I took the lessons that I learned from mom and dad and tried to instill in my teammates to be the best teammate I possibly could. Mom, you taught me to always strive for perfection.”
Thomas said his record streak of 10,363 consecutive snaps played was special to him.
“Not because it’s an NFL record, but because it shows I was there for my brothers 10,363 times in a row,” he said. “They could count on me. Being an offensive lineman is all about being a servant, and showing up for everybody else. Loyalty, consistency, doing something bigger than yourself. Showing up for the man next to you. Those are the values I learned at an early age. And those are the values that I took on the football field.”
Thomas then engaged in a litany of thank you’s to family, friends, teammates at every level of his career, his three college coaches, all his offensive line coaches and his six Browns head coaches.
“Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Pat Shurmur, Rob Chudzinski, Mike Pettine, Hue Jackson … each one of you gave me something on the field and off the field that I’ll take with me the rest of my life,” Thomas said.
Thomas’ record of 48-119 (.287) with the Browns is the worst of the 371 inductees of the Hall of Fame. He is the fifth player in the Hall without making the playoffs. (He’s in good company with Gale Sayers, Dick Butkus, Floyd Little and Larry Wilson). He knows the reason he enjoyed little success in 10 ½ seasons with the Browns was because of the quality of quarterbacks he blocked for.
“My quarterbacks … all of them … 20. Yes, I blocked for more different starting quarterbacks than any player in NFL history. What an honor,” Joe said. “No matter who was back there and what our circumstances were – which sometimes were tough; some of it was your fault, I’m not gonna lie … but I won’t call out which ones -- you guys still laid it all on the line for your team. That was always very special to me.”
He acknowledged fellow offensive linemen in attendance – Alex Mack, Jason Pinkston, Mitchell Schwartz, John Greco, Hank Fraley, Eric Steinbach and Joel Bitonio.
“Thank you for always showing up for me and thank you for giving me the ability to always count on you guys,” he said.
“Did you notice I didn’t mention any of my backup left tackles? I’m sorry about that, never giving you an opportunity to go on the field. But I did make you take all my practice reps.”
Then came another round of thank you’s to Browns equipment, training, office and custodial staffers, to Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam and their family, to Phil Savage, the GM who drafted him and to the fans of Cleveland.
He said to the Haslams, “You guys have built a first-class organization. Success is right around the corner. I cannot wait to be the biggest fan.”
And to the fans, Thomas said, “Even if we were losing, you guys were there. You guys are the heartbeat of the Cleveland Browns. It was truly an honor to represent you for 11 seasons.”
When Thomas addressed wife Annie and children Logan, 10, Camryn, 8, Jack, 7, and Reese, 4, he again fought back tears.
“Annie,” Joe said, pausing to compose himself, “You’ve always been my rock. Your support was always unshakeable. You lived through the losses, the injuries. You were generous. You were the soulmate I always needed. Now it’s beautiful watching you become the best mother possible of four beautiful kids. Most importantly, I’m glad they look like you and not an offensive lineman like me.”
To his kids, Joe said, “You guys are such a blessing to me during my career. Coming home after a tough day, looking into your faces, you guys would run and give me that big hug. You gave me the joy, the happiness and the purpose to continue on when sometimes I didn’t think it was possible. You guys continue to give me perfect every single day of my life, thank you.”
Thomas’ closing remarks brought the biggest cheers.
“It’s the greatest honor of my career to be able to accept this lifetime award on behalf of all Browns nation. Cleveland you could always count on me. Thank you so much for allowing me to count on you. Don’t forget, keep showing up for each other.
“God bless the Cleveland Browns. God bless America, and God bless football – the greatest game of all.”
