President Barack Obama just finished honoring the Seahawks in the East Wing of the White House, and it was clear that the President and his people did their homework.
Obama had a number of good jokes:
On Richard Sherman’s loquaciousness: “I considered letting Sherman up here to the podium today, giving him the mic, but we gotta go in a little bit.”
On Brandon Mebane’s “belly-roll” sack dance: “Brandon Mebane’s belly roll dance: we can’t do that in the White House.”
On CenturyLink Field: “Y’all have that stadium that’s kind of cheating because it’s so loud.”
RB Marshawn Lynch wasn’t there, prompting Obama to joke: “I’m sorry Marshawn’s not here, because I just wanted to say how much I admire his approach to the press. I wanted to get some tips from him. It’s about the action.”
Obama also made an “Angry Doug Baldwin” reference, and he brought up a video of Seahawks fans in Ballard who paused their celebration in the streets to wait for a traffic signal to change. Yes, even the President knows Seattleites are afraid to jaywalk.
Perhaps his best line was saved for general manager John Schneider, who in the days leading up to the Super Bowl was photographed shirtless wearing a WWE championship belt, a photo Earl Thomas posted on Twitter, then later deleted: “I’m curious where the championship belt is today, John?”
But Obama also turned serious at times, including when he noted that Russell Wilson was just the second African American quarterback to win a Super Bowl: “The best part about it is nobody commented on it, which tells you the progress we’ve made”
Obama also talked about how many Seahawks have overcome obstacles in their lives, including hearing-impaired fullback Derrick Coleman. On Richard Sherman, who went from Compton to Stanford to the NFL, Obama said, “He showed kids from his neighborhood that they can make it.”
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