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Timeout With Defensive End Leonard Williams

Stop the clock. We’re taking a timeout with Leonard Williams to help the 12s learn more about the Seahawks player who loves to fish and eat sushi. ‘Timeout with the Seahawks’ is presented by Delta.

Timeout With Leonard Williams

1. Who is your favorite artist to listen to?

"My favorite artist I would say is Leon Bridges. If I could choose a band, my favorite band is Sublime."

2. How did you become interested in fishing?

"I'm really into fishing. It started growing up with my dad, he's from Texas so he grew up hunting and fishing and all that type of outdoorsy stuff. So I knew how to gut, scale, and clean a fish since I was eight or 10 years old. Now it's evolved into spear fishing. I taught myself how to free dive and equalize while I'm under water and stuff like that. So now my max depth I've been is 80 feet and I've held my breathe for four and a half minutes."

3. What is your favorite vacation destination?

"I would say Japan, (which I went to) this past offseason. It's the longest vacation I've been on as well I was there for about a month. It was during the cherry blossom season out there, so it was beautiful. I went with my now fiancée that I got engaged to out there. It was the best vacation for sure."

4. What is the best food you ate during your trip to Japan?

"Honestly, sushi I was having every day. I was going to some of the fish markets. What's so interesting is that out there it's really inexpensive. Here, a piece of toro is around $25. There, you can get toro at every little hole in the wall, every small restaurant has the best sushi. I remember we came back here and we ended up going to a fancy restaurant that served sushi and it wasn't as good as the worst sushi that I've in Japan."

5. What are some of your favorite things to do outside of football?

"Spear fishing. I'm really into boating and being out on the water. I have a 32 foot yellow fin down at my house in Florida. I've even taken it straight to the Bahamas from my backyard, it's pretty awesome. I'm also into this really nerdy card game called 'Magic: The Gathering.' Their facilities are based out here actually, it's right across the street from our team hotel that we've been staying at during (training) camp. I'm actually pretty connected with the guys who run the Magic facility, so they've given me tours. I've been on some You Tube shows about it and stuff like that. I'm super into playing Magic which is my nerdy side."

6. What would you do for a career if you weren't a football player?

"If I could dream big and be anything, I'd probably be a rock star like Jimi Hendrix."

7. Which three people, past or present, would you want to have dinner with?

"I'll take Bob Marley, Muhammad Ali, and Barack Obama."

8. Which person in your life motivates you the most?

"I would say my father-in-law. My girl's dad, Ronnie Lott, he's one of the best to ever play the game at his position and football in general. He's the type of guy who's just always inspired and always passionate about everything he does. I think that's why i'm the most inspired by him. It's not even his career in football that inspires me, it's just the way he approaches everything he does in life. He has this quote where he says 'Exhaust every minute,' and I can tell he has that approach in everything he does."

9. What are your favorite TV shows and movies?

"For a while my favorite television show was 'Game of Thrones.' I haven't watched 'House of the Dragon.' Lately, I would say it's 'One Piece.' My favorite movie is 'Wolf of Wall Street.'"

10. What do you miss the most about living in Florida and California?

"The weather and beaches. I've honestly been lucky to live in all corners of the country. I've lived in New York, Florida, California, and now out here in Seattle. I think just the weather, I love the beaches especially in Florida and California."

11. What are your favorite things to do in Seattle?

"I would say the nature. Me and my girl have really been enjoying going on some nice hikes out here. There's something about the air, the air quality here feels super crisp and fresh. It's really refreshing for me that's why I like playing here so much. When I'm playing at Lumen Field, I feel like I just can never get tired because I have so much oxygen. Also, the 'Magic The Gathering' stuff. I think because it's based out here and it's really popular."

12. How did you get the nickname 'Big Cat'?

"It actually started in college (at University of Southern California) from the announcers. People always referred to me as like a lion type of persona since I was young because I've always had long curly hair that kind of resembles a mane. Then also people always call me Leo, so that's like a Lion. When I was in college, the announcers were saying that I was big and agile like a big cat. So people just started calling me Big Cat all the time."

The Seahawks face the Miami Dolphins at Lumen Field during Week 3 of the 2024 season. Take a look back through history at the Seahawks' matchups against the Dolphins.

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