CANTON, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Joe Thomas received his gold jacket weeks ago at his home in Wisconsin, but he finally got to put it on Friday night.
And he chose a rival to put it on for him,
Thomas, who was serenaded by Browns fans barking, chose Steelers Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis to present him with his jacket once he reached the stage.
Thomas was able to enjoy the pageantry of joining the NFL’s all-time greats at the Gold Jacket dinner held at the Canton Civic Center.
Thomas got to walk through over 100 Hall of Famers, who formed ‘The Gauntlet,’ which included two Browns Hall of Famers – Paul Warfield and Joe Delamielleure.
After pumping his fist triumphantly into the air and waving to the crowd, Thomas' family joined him on stage and he spent the next few moments embracing them.
NFL Network’s Rich Eisen hosted the two-hour event and brought his ‘A’ game to answer the O-H, I-O chants with a reminder the Wolverines “dropped a 40 burger” on the Buckeyes twice.
Joe Haden, Alex Mack and John Greco were among the former teammates on hand to celebrate with Thomas.
Earlier in the day Thomas and the rest of the class of 2023 visited Centennial Park in downtown Canton where they walked the streets and took the annual photo with the living Hall of Famers on hand.