The 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony took place on Friday in Canton, Ohio. And Cleveland Browns legend Joe Thomas didn’t exactly feel the love from his home crowd when it came time for his enshrinement.
Thomas played the entirety of his 11-year NFL career with the Browns, earning ten Pro Bowl appearances during his tenure with the team.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that his induction ceremony on Saturday came with a ton of fanfare. Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot posted a picture of the crowd for the event on social media, showing a large number of empty seats.
The crowd just before Joe Thomas’ enshrinement #Browns @ProFootballHOF pic.twitter.com/QCth9utCiK
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) August 5, 2023
It isn’t exactly the turnout you would expect for a player that is so beloved in the state of Ohio, and fans took to social media to take issue with this.
there's no way it was just this many people right?
— Sir Yacht (@SirYacht_) August 5, 2023
Not very impressive at all
— Ryan 🦌🐝 (@RyanX860) August 5, 2023
Thought the browns had such a good fan base? 🙄
— Matt Berry (@GolferMatt23) August 5, 2023
https://twitter.com/CoffeeSneeze/status/1687909817778839552
The Browns never deserved Joe Thomas. https://t.co/5opAQFZ83V
— Michael Sicoli (@Michael__Sicoli) August 5, 2023
Thomas’s induction makes him the 18th Hall of Fame member from the Browns organization, which is the eighth most of any NFL team.
Browns fans are typically seen as a loyal bunch that typically adore their own, but this less than stellar turnout certainly doesn’t represent them well.
It ispossible that more fans did pile in once Thomas’s enshrinement actually began, but this picture of the crowd is underwhelming to say the least…
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.