GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Earl Thomas sat at his locker with his head hanging in his hands.
The Seattle Seahawks safety didn't move; he just stared into the locker. Thomas' teammates hurried past him, already showered and dressed, ready to put Sunday behind them and get back to Seattle.
They passed Thomas, not even glancing at him, as he sat in the wake of a 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday night. While other Seahawks were leaving in suits, Thomas was still wearing his football pants, socks and cleats.
He was in no rush to take them off.
Justin Britt clapped loudly.
J.R. Sweezy grabbed his locker.
Many Seahawks just sat there, on their phones, texting and scrolling through social media.
Everyone was coping in his own way. The team's second-straight NFL championship was 3 feet away. But instead of a touchdown and title, the Seahawks were left with an interception and loss.
“It’s tough,” defensive tackle Kevin Williams said. “I don’t know. You kinda feel like a sense of, ‘We let them off the hook.' Really, to tell you the truth, I don’t know. I just play, man.”
For a while, Richard Sherman sat next to Thomas, also staring. He was eventually ushered out to answer questions about his elbow and why a pass was called instead of a run from the 1-yard line. Before he left, Sherman and Seattle wide receiver Chris Matthews embraced. At one point, Britt went over to Sherman and talked for a few minutes.
While Sherman was gone, Thomas ate his postgame meal and drank a Gatorade, still dressed from the waist down in his uniform.
Linebacker Bruce Irvin was the last Seahawk to take his pads off. He was another who sat at his locker, on his phone, not wanting the night or the season to end. At one point, he walked over to Sherman and Thomas, talked for a few minutes and then, as he was walking away, grabbed the collar around his neck and closed his eyes really tightly.
They were so close.
When Sherman returned from his interviews, he rejoined Thomas at the lockers. Soon after, Pete Carroll walked in, saw them sitting there and changed his course. Carroll stood between the two members of the Legion of Boom and talked, just a coach and two of his stars.
He shook Sherman’s hand and then rested his right hand on Thomas’ neck, rubbing it like a father would to console a child.
When Carroll was done talking to them, he squeezed Thomas’ neck three times, shook Sherman’s hand again and walked away.
“You see the feeling in here,” Britt said. “It’s not good.”
