Who was that masked man?: The Seahawks player who gave AJ Brown a bump

After an incomplete pass, Brown ended up on the Seattle sideline and got a shoulder to his chest.

Steph Chambers/GettyImages
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Football fans often see a little trash talk on the sidelines after an opponent drifts into enemy territory. That is just part of the game and players kind of expect it. But rarely do we see any shoving or pushing because one side has a lot more players than the other and that would cause trouble to brew. Still, when the Seattle Seahawks played the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15, we also saw a kerfuffle.

What led up to Eagles receiver A.J. Brown getting a shoulder to the chest was this: He had gone on a fly route down the sidelines while being covered by Seahawks cornerback Mike Jackson. The ball was incomplete but both Brown and Jackson wound up deep into the Seattle sideline.

As the two walked back onto the field, Brown shoved Jackson with his right hand but Jackson, keeping his composure, just kept bouncing forward. But as Brown walks closer to the field, a member of the Seahawks, dressed in a heavy jacket, accidentally (OK, he meant to do it) puts his shoulder into Brown's chest.

Seattle Seahawks player gives A.J. Brown a nice welcome

So who was this Seahawks hero? Certainly not a Seattle "staff member" as many media outlets assumed. What staff member would be hanging with players so close to the action? Instead, the person who put his shoulder into A.J. Brown's chest was practice squad center Joey Hunt.

Of course, 12s know Hunt has been much more than just a practice squad player over his years with the team. He started 11 games between 2016 and 2019, including eight in 2019 alone. (Heck, he will probably end up a coach in Seattle one day.) He was always a bit undersized, though, so he kind of got pushed around some. Ironic since he shouldered Brown after Brown pushed Jackson.

And to be fair, Hunt being an offensive lineman doesn't look that much bigger than Brown. Kind of goes to show you just how big A.J. Brown actually is.

The great thing about what Joey Hunt did was that he was simply being a good teammate. An opponent pushes one of his teammates on the sideline, Hunt sees it and gives Brown a bit of a Seattle greeting. Good for Joey Hunt.

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