Phil Edwards and his son Brian Edwards recently went on the trip of a lifetime together. The two were formally invited to attend the 2022 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks organization after a simple conversation with a team representative turned into something more heartfelt.
Phil, who has been a season ticket holder of the Seattle Seahawks since their inaugural season in 1976, lost his wallet several months ago. Once he realized his tickets needed to be renewed, he called Seahawks customer service to inform them that he’d changed cards and needed to update his information.
After Phil exchanged his information, the season ticket representative asked a simple question of “how have you been lately,” to which Phil replied by saying he’d had a rough couple of months.
Phil woke up on the morning of Jan. 22, and found his wife, Coleen Edwards, had died because of a brain aneurysm. After sharing that with the representative, the Seahawks offered to include Phil’s wife in the list of Seahawk fans who’ve lost their life in 2022.
Following their conversation, the Seahawks season ticket representative called Phil back a week later with a gesture on behalf of the Seattle Seahawks organization.
“I was surprised to see them call me back,” said Phil. “But after the representative told me that he’d talked with some of Seattle’s executives and they wanted to do something special for me because of my loyalty to the franchise, my jaw hit the floor.”
The Seahawks organization wanted to thank Phil for being a fan for 46 years, as well as honor his late wife, so they invited him and a guest to Las Vegas for the NFL Draft, which was held from Thursday, April 28 to Saturday, April 30.
Aside from the invitation to the NFL, the Seahawks included a three night stay at the Bellagio, one of the premier hotels in Las Vegas.
But the cherry on top was that Phil was given the opportunity to announce one of the Seahawks draft picks, which aired live on ESPN, ABC and the NFL Network.
Upon arriving in Las Vegas, the Edwards were given a tight itinerary the two had to follow during their stay in Vegas. First, they arrived at the Bellagio where they were greeted by 31 other franchise representatives and their guests invited to the draft by NFL teams.
“When we first got there, all 64 of us met in the lobby, and they closed a restaurant down for all of us. They had all these tables, chairs and jerseys with ‘NFL Draft 22’ stitched on the back,” said Phil. “They gave us the jerseys and served us brunch, and then Roger Goodell showed up.”
Goodell is the current commissioner of the NFL and has served in that role since 2006.
“We all got to go up, shake his hand and say a couple words to him,” Phil said. “He is a down to earth, really cool dude. He doesn’t deserve the boos he gets each year at the draft.”
Leading up to the draft, the two locals, along with other special guests, were treated with a red carpet experience. The two got to meet several NFL legends, including Marcus Allen of the Raiders and Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions.
Then, on night one of the NFL Draft, Phil presented Commissioner Goodell with Charles Cross’s jersey. Cross, who was the Seahawks first round draft pick and the ninth overall pick, is a 21-year-old offensive tackle from Mississippi State University.
“When I got to present the jersey of Seattle’s first round pick, they came and got me from my seat and walked me around back,” said Phil. “As I was walking through some tunnels to get to the stage, I got to meet some NFL legends too. I was blown away.”
Then on day two, it was Phil’s turn to play the role of commissioner by announcing the Seahawks pick. However, it wouldn’t come without typical Seattle Seahawks fashion as they traded the original pick Phil was supposed to announce.
“Thank you to the Seattle Seahawks, the classiest organization in football,” said Phil when announcing the team’s pick. “With the 153rd overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Tariq Woolen, defensive back, UTSA.”
Following his announcement of the 153rd pick, another Seattle Seahawks representative approached the Edwards family, this time asking Brian Edwards if he’d like to make the selection.
“I wasn’t even supposed to announce the pick,” said Brian. “I found out about four minutes before I went on stage.”
Then, Brian announced the 158th selection in the draft, which was Tyreke Smith, a linebacker from Ohio State University.
“It was pretty cool getting to announce the pick myself. But the coolest part was that he got to be a rockstar for four days,” said Brian about his dad. “It was once in a lifetime. My dad and I already hang out a lot, but to spend four days with him at the NFL Draft is something I’ll never forget. He wore a big Chuck E. Cheese smile the entire time.”
Following the draft, Phil expressed appreciation for what the Seattle Seahawks and the NFL did for him and his son.
“I started getting my tickets before they even had a team,” said Phil. “It was just unbelievable what they did for us.”
Brian agreed.
“Everyone treated my dad like he was Elvis down there,” said Brian. “It was like episode after episode of awesomeness.”
Phil, who has been a fan of the Seahawks for every twist and turn in the franchise’s history, had the time of his life in Las Vegas with his son. But in retrospect, the moment was bittersweet.
“I had an absolute blast. I truly did,” said Phil. “But truly, I would’ve given up the entire experience to have my sweet wife back.”
