The third Pregame Huddle of the 2021 Seahawks season was held on Sunday thanks to a Microsoft Surface Hub stationed inside the tunnel at Lumen Field.
Using Microsoft Teams technology for a video call, representatives from the My Cause My Cleats organizations were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at players entering the field from the Seahawks' locker room. Users from Washington to the Dominican Republic and everywhere in between got to experience the atmosphere just before the game.
Week 13 marked the annual My Cause My Cleats campaign across the NFL, where players are able to "wear their hearts on their feet" with custom-designed cleats representing an organization that is significant to them.
There were 35 Seahawks who participated in the event, including 30 current players, head coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Schneider, Seahawks Legend Walter Jones, Blitz and the Seahawks Dancers. Thirty-four organizations were highlighted on cleats, and each had a representative attend Sunday's Pregame Huddle.
Seahawks players, dancers, and staff will wear custom designed cleats and shoes supporting causes they feel passionate about during Week 13 vs. the San Francisco 49ers on December 5.
Cody Barton — Paradigm Foundation
Paradigm Foundation is a faith-based nonprofit which strives to address the physical needs of those who lack the basic necessity of shelter.
Nick Bellore — 3 Mariposas Montessori
Montessori school provides accessible education for children ages one to 10 in a diverse and exemplary environment.
Marquise Blair — Youth Achievement Center
The Youth Achievement Center is an upcoming project in South Seattle, designed by and for young people, to provide supportive housing, services, and a community space.
Jordyn Brooks — Youth Achievement Center
The Youth Achievement Center is an upcoming project in South Seattle, designed by and for young people, to provide supportive housing, services, and a community space.
Pete Carroll — Choose 180
Choose 180 transforms systems of injustice and supports the young people who are too often impacted by these systems.
Chris Carson — Seattle Children’s Foundation
The Seattle Children's Foundation is dedicated to providing hope, care, and cures to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible.
L.J. Collier — Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
PanCAN's vision is to create a world in which all patients with pancreatic cancer will thrive.
Alex Collins — Adversity Kills
Adversity Kills inspires people to attack adversity head on and overcome any obstacle that life presents.
DeeJay Dallas — Justice For Black Girls
Justice For Black Girls intends to expand global knowledge of how U.S.-based systems of power respond to and perpetuate the abuse of Black girls in schools, in prisons, and in protests.
Seahawks Dancers — Broadview Domestic Violence Shelter
The Broadview Domestic Violence Shelter uses a trauma-informed care model to provide case management, children's programs, domestic violence and addiction support groups, parenting classes, and housing search assistance.
Will Dissly — 4ocean
4ocean is both a public corporation and certified B Corp which is committed to ending the ocean plastic crisis.
Carlos Dunlap II — The Carlos Dunlap Foundation
The Carlos Dunlap Foundations strives to bridge the gap between post-high school life and career-ready resources to allow more athletes and underserved youth to pursue educational and entrepreneurial aspirations with fewer barriers.
Gerald Everett — The Gerald Everett Foundation
The Gerald Everett Foundation's mission is to bring better change and coexistence in society and communities, and to bind stronger resources into the communities that are easily accessible.
Poona Ford — National Breast Cancer Foundation
The National Breast Cancer Foundation believes knowledge and early detection saves lives and is dedicated to educating women on what they can do to be proactive with their breast health.
Stone Forsythe — YESS Foundation
YESS aims to champion and empower Young Stroke Survivors and their families on the journey to reclaim a fulfilling life.
Kyle Fuller — Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM)
BEAM works to remove the barriers that Black people experience when gaining access to or staying connected with emotional health care and healing through education, training, advocacy, and the creative arts.
Geno Smith — 7 Sunday Heroes Foundation
The 7 Sunday Heroes Foundation works with dedicated and charitable people to help provide the support and resources our local heroes need to lead.
Penny Hart — Read and Right ATL
Read and Right ATL impacts local youth in Atlanta, GA, by donating books and empowering kids to increase literacy and encourage reading.
Gabe Jackson — National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
NAMI provides advocacy, education, support, and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives.
Damien Lewis — His Steps Ministries, Inc.
His Steps Ministries Inc. aims to bring true and permanent change to the lives of substance abusers through the gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the sufficient resources of God's Word.
Colby Parkinson — Children’s Hunger Fund
The Children's Hunger Fund equips and positions church leaders and volunteers to reach suffering children and families in their communities by delivering food and hope found in the gospel of Christ.
D.J. Reed — National MS Society
The National MS Society aims to cure MS while empowering people affected by MS to live their best lives.
Alton Robinson — Pay It Forward
The Pay It Forward Foundation was established as a catalyst to inspire growth for the Pay It Forward philosophy; acts of kindness among strangers, generating a ripple effect from one person to the next and one community to the next.
Sidney Jones IV — Mental Health America (MHA)
MHA's work is driven by its commitment to promote mental health as a critical part of overall wellness, including prevention services, early identification and intervention for those at risk, and integrated care, services, and support for those who need them.
John Schneider — Ben’s Fund/Nine Line
Ben's Fund was established in honor of John and Traci Schneider's son who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three and, in partnership with the Seattle Foundation, is intended to provide financial support and guidance to children and young adults in the state of Washington who have autism.
Brandon Shell — National Stuttering Association (NSA)
The NSA's vision is to bring hope and empowerment to children and adults who stutter, their families, and professionals through support, education, advocacy, and research.
Freddie Swain — Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer's Association is leading the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.
Darrell Taylor — American Breast Cancer Foundation
The American Breast Cancer Foundation works to provide help and inspire hope to those affected by breast cancer through early detection, education, and support services.
Walter Jones — Ben’s Fund/Nine Line
Ben's Fund was established in honor of John and Traci Schneider's son who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three and, in partnership with the Seattle Foundation, is intended to provide financial support and guidance to children and young adults in the state of Washington who have autism.
Russell Wilson — Why Not You Foundation
The Why Not You Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to fighting poverty through education, empowering youth to lead with a "why not you?" attitude.
Al Woods — Community Change
Community Change works to build the power of low-income people, especially people of color, to fight for a society where everyone can thrive.
Bryan Mone —Choice Supports
Choice Supports strives to support individuals with developmental disabilities and related conditions and ensure the rights and safety of people by coordinating support services to address specific needs & goals of the individual.
John Schneider — Ben’s Fund/Nine Line
Ben's Fund was established in honor of John and Traci Schneider's son who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three and, in partnership with the Seattle Foundation, is intended to provide financial support and guidance to children and young adults in the state of Washington who have autism.
Throughout the pregame event, people on the call were able to see each position group enter and exit the field for warm-ups. Seahawks.com reporter Jackie Montgomery was just outside the locker room facilitating conversation between the players and the representatives… but that wasn't all.
Seahawks Legend Luke Willson surprised everyone on the call when he joined from his home in Washington. Willson answered any and all questions before explaining the pregame routine that each position group goes through.
Sean Goode, the Executive Director for Choose 180, had the special honor of appearing on Carroll's Nike shoes during the game. No, literally -- Goode's face adorned the side of the shoes.
"I was embarrassed (when I first saw the cleats)," Goode said with a laugh. "I was embarrassed, that was my first response. Because this work isn't about me, and our organization is so much bigger than me. And our organization is so much bigger than our staff. It's comprised of thousands of young people who we've had the privilege of serving support into, because they've done the hard work, which is committing to a new direction.
"We've created space and facilitated conversations with the young people and families. Those are the champions of our cause. So, yeah, it was embarrassing to have my face on the cleats, but it's also an honor because of who's wearing the shoes."
Choose 180 is an organization that seeks to transform systems of injustice and supports the young people who are too often impacted by these unfair systems. In his role as Executive Director, Goode explains to people the injustices that exist and aims to build a community around Choose 180's cause.
"We exist to stop harm where it's happening, and to support young people who have been impacted and change those systems that have caused that harm to occur in the first place," Goode said. "What that looks like in real time is partnering with prosecutors, superintendents and law enforcement officers to change their practices and to build programming to serve as an alternative for young people getting involved in the criminal legal system."
Goode was specifically honored to have Carroll representing Choose 180. The two first worked together years ago on a project for gang violence reduction. Now, they have come full circle with Carroll, Goode and Choose 180.
"Coach is a leadership icon," Goode said. "The way that he stewards the Hawks is the blueprint for how you lead an organization to be competitive and successful in whatever space that they're operating in. For a long time, I've done my best to pattern my leadership style after what I've been able to pull from the way that he leads the Seahawks."
One of the best looking cleats sadly didn't get to see the field on Sunday. Chris Carson, who is currently on IR, represented Seattle Children’s Foundation. The cleats featured the iconic Seattle skyline on the right shoe and two whales -- a mother and child -- on the left shoe.
"(The cleats) are amazing," said Jake Gustafson, Sr. Director of Portfolio Development & Foundation Operations with Seattle Children's. "It's kind of mind-blowing when you look at a pair of shoes like that, 'Oh my goodness, someone was able to (design) this.' They're really next-level. It caught the essence of who we are as an organization and who we are as a city."
Seattle Children's has a long history with the Seahawks, including the annual tradition of players visiting patients at the hospital around the holiday season. Seattle Children's is "dedicated to providing hope, care and cures to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible" -- which is something it accomplishes by way of "uncompensated care."
"One thing that makes Seattle Children's unique is our dedication, our core mission, what we call 'uncompensated care,'" Gustafson explained. "It's this idea and practice that, regardless of a family's ability to pay, we will take care of these patients. That's something that's very unique to us, that's our core mission of our institution because we're here to help these kids live their most fulfilling life possible."
A patient joined the Pregame Huddle on Sunday from the hospital, and was able to speak with Montgomery and players entering the field. It was almost a reverse of the usual tradition where the Seahawks visit the patients, as this time it was the patient visiting the Seahawks.
Even though he wasn't able to wear the cleats during a game, Carson choosing the organization was still special for Gustafson and Seattle Children's.
"We haven't worked with Chris in the past, but what I do know is that he's compelled to do things to take care of kids," Gustafson said. "Kids are important to him, and wanting to team up and help an organization like ours that is helping kids speaks volume to his character. We couldn't be more excited and flattered that Chris chose us."
The fourth and final Pregame Huddle will take place later this season after holding previous events for the Crucial Catch and Salute to Service games.
