Paul Allen’s death leaves Seahawks in mourning--and awe: “We lost an amazing person”
Hours after they landed following a hugely successful week in London that ended in a victory, the Seahawks got rocked with a tremendous loss.
Paul Allen’s passing Monday at the age of 65 from complications from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma means the franchise has lost the beloved man who kept the team from moving to Southern California in 1996—then kept the football people in charge of his football team.
Players, coaches, the general manager and the team’s staff truly admired Allen for what he did for the world.
Allen was a consistent, welcomed presence in locker rooms after games. Win or lose. Home and away.
That is why many current and former players reacted so strongly to the news of his death.
Michael Bennett, the Super Bowl-winning Pro Bowl defensive end the team traded this spring, called Allen “a genius.”
“We lost an amazing person today,” recently retired Seahawk Cliff Avril told NFL Network.
Quarterback Russell Wilson wrote on his Twitter account: “We have lost a great friend and a giant.”
Coach Pete Carroll, who appreciated Allen’s steadfast support but hands-off approach to his team most of all, wrote Monday: “I’ll miss him greatly. His gracious leadership and tremendous inspiration will never be forgotten.
“The world is a better place because of Paul’s passion, commitment, and selflessness. His legacy will live on forever.”
Seahawks Hall of Fame offensive tackle Walter Jones said in a statement he posted online “no words will ever be enough to tell you what he meant to me and my family. His ability to pioneer healthcare and technology, while owning a team that he kept in this city, opened the doors for many of us to make a better life for ourselves.”
Bennett, whom the team traded in March to Philadelphia, posted on Twitter: “I will be always thankful for @PaulGAllen’s generosity and his kind heart. He was a genius, and genuine person, who cared about humanity all over the world and it was an honor to be able to learn from and be around such a great leader.”
Former running back and franchise icon Marshawn Lynch, who with Bennett and Avril helped bring Allen and Seattle their only NFL championship four years ago, posted on his Twitter account: “Big dog rest easy as you go home @PaulGAllen prayers for your family”
Allen’s sister, Jody Allen, is the vice-chair of First & Goal Inc. That’s the company Paul Allen formed to run the Seahawks when he bought it 32 years ago to keep it in Seattle. The Microsoft Corp. co-founder bought the Seahawks when previous owner Ken Behring was about to move it to Anaheim, and in fact had already moved Seahawks’ offices there.
Jody Allen has long been thought to eventually gain a more visible ownership role with the Seahawks.
The NFL declined through league spokesman Brian McCarthy NFL Network’s request for comment on a succession plan of Seahawks’ ownership, “out of respect for Mr. Allen and his family.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement from league headquarters in New York Monday.
“Paul Allen was the driving force behind keeping the NFL in the Pacific Northwest,” Goodell said. “His vision led to the construction of CenturyLink Field and the building of a team that played in three Super Bowls, winning the championship in Super Bowl XLVIII. The raising of the ‘12th Man’ flag at the start of every Seahawks home game was Paul’s tribute to the extraordinary fan base in the Seattle community. His passion for the game, combined with his quiet determination, led to a model organization on and off the field.
“He worked tirelessly alongside our medical advisers to identify new ways to make the game safer and protect our players from unnecessary risk. I personally valued Paul’s advice on subjects ranging from collective bargaining to bringing technology to our game. Our league is better for Paul Allen having been a part of it and the entire NFL sends its deepest condolences to Paul’s family and to the Seahawks organization.”
Allen’s death erased the afterglow from from the Seahawks’ 27-3 rout of Oakland at Wembley Stadium. It was the Seattle franchise’s first regular-season game outside North America. And it was a roaring success.
Sunday’s game attracted 84,922. That’s the most to attend any of the 22 games the league has held in London the last 11 years.
Most of that record crowd was screaming for the Seahawks. They came from the United Kingdom, Europe and the Pacific Northwest. A tour of Wembley’s lower concourse before kickoff Sunday spotted three Tacoma Rainiers team caps.
A German television crew seemed to have adopted the team during the week, saying there were thousands of Seahawks fans throughout Germany. Even reporters from Brazil chased down Seahawks players last week at their team hotel, following practices there in the English countryside.
“Amazing,” Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett said after catching a touchdown pass from Russell Wilson in Sunday’s game. “Seeing Seahawks fans out there, even when we were traveling to London, out there screaming our names, taking pictures with us when we were looking at the London Eye, and being able to come out here and play in front of them and play in front of all the fans in London... never knew we had a lot of Seahawk fans out here before we came out here.”
Cornerback Shaquill Griffin said he wasn’t surprised by the tens of thousands of Seahawks fans that took over Wembley, even booed the designated “home” team Oakland.
“Nah, definitely wasn’t surprised. You can’t be surprised when you’ve got the ‘12s’ out there,” Griffin said. “They are going to continue to do it, travel to every game. You’ve got to respect that.
“That’s why we fight so hard for them, because we know they’ve got our back.”
Wilson said playing in the historic Wembley was an honor.
“It was an amazing experience. It was kind of a, you know, it was kind of a Super Bowl atmosphere, really, to be honest with you,” the Seahawks’ two-time Super Bowl starting quarterback said. “The energy was amazing. It was loud as could be.
“You know, it was just an amazing, amazing atmosphere in front of an amazing crowd at an amazing stadium in Wembley. So much history and tradition, and to come out with a huge win was huge.”
“I think, too, just to see how many Seahawks fans traveled all the way from Seattle to here, and just how many fans around the world. There were fans from obviously, London, Seattle, New York, Germany, all these different places to come see us play. And you know, the Seahawks fans travel the best in the world.
“It was just an amazing experience to play here in London.”
Lockett said he loved the experience so much he wants to play another game in London. That was the seemingly unanimous opinion inside the Seahawks’ locker room late Sunday night before the trip west across eight time zones and arrival home Monday morning.
“Everybody enjoyed this trip,” Lockett said. “We had a great time and want to do it again.”
Provided, that is, another London game — or one regularly against any NFL team the league may eventually base here — comes with a bye week immediately after, as this games does.
The Seahawks next play Oct. 28 at Detroit.
They will do so with far heavier hearts than they had while playing their last game.
This story was originally published October 15, 2018 at 5:56 PM.