Former Seahawk Marcus Trufant succumbs to Blue Angels blackout
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fly with the Blue Angels? Former Seahawks standout Marcus Trufant got his shot this week, and admits it knocked him out, literally.
“I’m actually still not all the way 100 percent,” says Trufant, who was offered a ride as the 2014 Seafair King.
Trufant recounted his adventure in this week’s edition of The Barbershop on sports.mynorthwest.com with co-hosts Gee Scott and Terry Holliman.
Trufant admits he had some trepidation as he headed for the cockpit.
“I’m not a person that’s going to go skydiving or somebody that’s going to go bungee jumping.”
The pilot warned him it could be intense, with forces of up to six G’s. He’s still in great shape and thought he was prepared.
“They teach you these techniques to where you’re supposed to squeeze your abs, you gotta (sic) squeeze your legs because all the blood is rushing from your head when you’re going at that speed.”
But try as he might, Trufant still succumbed to what they call the “bobblehead.”
“He was going that fast and I was squeezing, then I let go, so my head just bobbled and I was out,” Trufant laughs.
The king had been crowned, losing consciousness for up to three seconds. After he came to, he wasn’t the same for the rest of the flight.
“And we’re doing our little flips and I’m like ‘you got to take it slow,’ because I don’t want to be the dude who’s throwing up in the cockpit.”
Trufant managed to keep it down and keep it together. But he does admit he brought some extra clothes, just in case he didn’t.
“I had thought too, like if I get a little too excited, I might have to change my drawers. But it didn’t come to that.”
Trufant says he’s still feeling the effects of his flight a day later, comparing it to a two-hour workout.
So would he do it again?
“I would need like two or three years just to gather my thoughts,” he laughs.