Former Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas is set to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame despite never appearing in a playoff game.
Thomas, like a lot of stars before him, could have forced his way out of the unfavorable situation with the team that drafted him. But Thomas maintained his loyalty to the franchise and retired as a Brown, and he now says that was something that was important to him.
“I think as a player it was important to me to be loyal to Cleveland and the Browns and the organization and my teammates,” Thomas recently said, speaking on behalf of a partnership with USAA.
“I think it was always important to me,” said Thomas, who spoke on behalf of a partnership with USAA. “It was a value that my parents taught me when I was a kid – the importance of loyalty to your family, your community, your faith, your church, your friends. To me, it always carried over to sports, too, because I grew up in the early ‘90s watching football. There really wasn’t a lot of player movement.”
Thomas credited his mindset to how he grew up as a football fan.
“Just being able to cheer for a team that had a player kind of his entire career. I love that as a fan, and I think there’s a nostalgic part of me that still appreciates that and loves that.”
[Fox News]
