‘You were just clutch’: Gee Scott reacts to Seahawks’ trade of Jermaine Kearse

When I first met Jermaine Kearse, he was an undrafted rookie and I was cleaning cars at Seahawks headquarters. On Friday, his tenure with the Seahawks came to an end, and I was the one breaking the story on 710 ESPN Seattle.

I still remember the first day I met Jermaine. I had come over to Golden Tate’s house and Jermaine was on the couch playing video games. I heard him say very little after the introduction. If I remember right he had some crutches next to him because he was battling a foot or leg injury, and he seemed to be very shy.

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Over time I think we all got to know Jermaine. He helped bring a Super Bowl title to Seattle, caught the game-winner to go back to the Super Bowl the next year, and even made an amazing catch that almost secured another world championship.

Jermaine seemed to be the receiver that was always there. Maybe he never had 1,000 yards in a year, but he always seemed to come up with that catch right on time. I guess you could call him clutch.

Last season, even by Jermaine’s own admission, he didn’t play the way he hoped he would have. For whatever reason, his production was down. He’s spent a lot of time preparing for the 2017 season, having a new goal and purpose. Yes, he wanted to be more productive, but he and his wife also had a precious baby girl in the offseason.

As training camp began, you could clearly see that his role was going to be different based on the amount of reps he was taking. But as the preseason progressed it seemed as if things were going back to normal, especially after Russell Wilson found him on a 39-yard pass play last week against Kansas City. I was thinking that with some of the young guys in the receivers room, Kearse would be needed here at least one more year.

That’s when the Dianna Russini tweet came out that Jermaine was possibly being shopped. Even after that, I didn’t think it would happen – until Friday. And when I found out, I was surprised, shocked, and then left to think, ‘OK, what’s the plan?’

Well, I shouldn’t think that way. I mean, it’s business. It’s never personal.

Right after I broke the news of Jermaine being traded, I got a few texts saying congratulations as I was walking out to my car. But about five minutes into my drive, sadness took over. I started to think about where we both were when he joined the Seahawks, and I began to sob. I mean tears coming down my face. Because despite what my job was when I first met him, Jermaine Kearse never treated me as if I was less-than.

I thought about everything that Jermaine has done for the man that cleaned his vehicle. He gave me an autographed football to give to my sons for Christmas. He came to a football tournament to speak to kids when I asked him to. He gave me advice for my sons. He even worked out a few times with my oldest. He was a guest on the Player’s Lounge Show with me every week during the 2016 season. He gave me my first shot to be an auctioneer for his foundation, 15 to 1.

Jermaine, you never looked down on me because of my occupation. You treated me with respect no matter what. The times you text just to ask how my kids are doing mean the world to me.

So I don’t cry right now because I’m sad, but rather because I’m grateful. I, like many others in this town, appreciate what you have done on the field and off. And make no mistake, I appreciate the conversations that we have had since I met you back in 2012.

Thank you, Jermaine. Thank you for always being so clutch.