Browns congratulate Joe Thomas on being first-ballot Hall of Famer

On Feb 10, 2023

FILE - Cleveland Browns tackle Joe Thomas walks on the field during the team's NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sept. 10, 2017, in Cleveland. One of 15 finalists for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Thomas has a good chance to be selected in his first year of eligibility. (AP Photo/David Richard, File)

Jimmy and Dee Haslam haven’t experienced much success as Browns owners, but they’ve encountered greatness because they inherited Joe Thomas when they bought the team in 2012.

The legendary Browns left tackle is among five modern-era finalists who were chosen by a panel of voters to be enshrined Aug. 5 into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton as members of the Class of 2023. The others are cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Ronde Barber, edge rusher DeMarcus Ware and linebacker Zach Thomas.

Joe Thomas, a 10-time Pro Bowl selection, and Revis are the only first-ballot Hall of Famers of the bunch. The results were revealed Thursday night during the “NFL Honors” awards show.

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“We are so proud Joe Thomas will be recognized, appropriately, as a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” the Haslams said in a statement. “Joe epitomized the standard of excellence in everything he did for the Cleveland Browns organization and for our community. He was the essence of all you want in a player, as a teammate and representing the Browns organization. His extraordinary accomplishments and endurance playing 10-plus years without missing a single snap is unparalleled. How he went about his work each day was equally inspiring, the model of consistency, resiliency and class.

“Beyond being one of the best in NFL history, he was just as exceptional off the field. Joe and his wife, Annie, have made an impact on so many people in Cleveland and have done so in a humble, unassuming way. He is just a tremendous human being. We are so happy that Joe will take his rightful place among our game’s greatest in Canton.”

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In 2018, the Haslams recognized Thomas’ snap streak by inducting the number 10,363 into the team’s Ring of Honor at FirstEnergy Stadium.

“The thing I hold most closely to my heart when people ask about, ‘What are you most proud of during your career,’ it’s that snap streak because of what it represents to me,” Thomas said in a statement. “‘Count on me.’ That was always the motto I had in my head.