(WJW) – Fox 8 Sports Reporter P.J. Ziegler sat down with First ballot Hall of Famer Joe Thomas for an exclusive interview about what it means to him to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Thursday night.

“Say it again!” Thomas said when Ziegler addresses Thomas as a Pro Football Hall of Famer. “That sounds incredible.”

The retired left tackle was the first announced during the 12th annual NFL Honors from Symphony Hall in Phoenix, Arizona, where Sunday’s Super Bowl will be played.

Thomas said he never imagined in his entire football career that he would ever be indicted into the hall of fame. 

“It’s taken a while to set in a little bit,” Thomas said.

Thomas said he hopes that as his kids get older, this is something they can be proud of.

“For me, standing up here, I feel like I’m representing the entire city of Cleveland, all browns fans, and I think that’s probably one of the things that I’m most proud of right now Thomas said. “Hopefully this is something that everybody who cheers for the orange helmet can be proud of.”

After his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Joe Thomas posted a thank you message to all of his supporters and Browns fans on Twitter.

“Hey what’s up Browns fans,” Thomas began. “I just got indicted in the 2023 class for the NFL and I just wanted to say a big thank you. (I) could not have done it without you guys. 11 beautiful years in Cleveland, not always full of a lot of wins, but always a lot of pride in the city, in the team, and you guys were a huge part of that journey. (I) absolutely could not have done it without you. Thank you.”