As Friday's practice came to an end, Seahawks safety Jamal Adams arrived on the field in a wheelchair, his left leg in a brace. And after the final whistle blew to end practice, the team gathered around Adams, who gave an impassioned speech to the team, telling his teammates they have what it takes to be great, and telling them to never take this game for granted.
"It was great," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "He just popped in on us at the end there. It was really good. He had a chance to speak to the whole crew. He's just such a heartfelt guy and he just let it out and told the guys what he was thinking and how grateful he was about the win. They were trying haul him out of the stadium and he went up in the box or something and got a chance to watch the finish of it and was going crazy at the end the way the defense played. It was great to reconnect with him, for everybody."
As for what comes next, Carroll said Adams will have surgery soon, and that a more specific timeline will be known after that.
"Don't know the long-range of it," Carroll said. "He's going to get worked on here in a couple of days, and we'll know more after that."
The unplanned speech by Adams was a moving moment for players before they head to the Bay Area this weekend.
"That's my brother," said linebacker Jordyn Brooks. "It's hard to see him crippled in a way, but it's always good to see that he's doing well, speak positive. One thing he said was play every play like your last play, because you never know. I think that resonated with everybody to just go out there and give it your all, because you never know. Just seeing him out there in that situation is tough, because you love the guy to death and just love what he brings to the table. Just wishing him the best. I know he's going to come back hungry and better than ever."
Quandre Diggs said he and Adams have been in daily contact since Monday's game, adding, "It's always good to see your brother. Me and Mal have been talking every day… It's dope to see him out here."
Said rookie cornerback Coby Bryant: "That's big bro, so I was happy to see him, see that he had positivity. It's hard seeing him like that, I obviously wanted to play with him this year, but things happen for a reason, and he's going to come back better."
