John Curley raises big bucks, embarrasses self at Seahawks’ Earl Thomas fundraiser

Leave it to John Curley to put his foot in his mouth, even when he’s doing a good deed.

The KIRO Radio host was the celebrity auctioneer for Seahawks’ standout Earl Thomas’ first annual Guardian Angel Foundation Seahawks and Steaks fundraiser Monday night in Bellevue.

The event featured Thomas and teammates Bobby Wagner, BJ Daniels, KJ Wright, Bruce Irvin and Richard Sherman serving diners at Daniel’s Broiler to raise money for local kids and teens facing the aftermath of disasters.

Of course, Curley wanted to congratulate and praise Thomas before the event for his work on and off the field. They’d never met, so Curley figured he’d just amble over to Thomas and chat him up.

“I turned to him and I shook his hand and I told him how impressed I am, and it’s great that he fills the gaps and he’s a great safety, and his speed and his closing ability…I’m going on and on,” Curley recounted on Tuesday’s edition of KIRO Radio’s Tom and Curley Show.

There was just one problem.

“I’m not Earl Thomas,” responded the man Curley assumed was Thomas.

It turns out it was Thomas’ younger brother Seth.

“He just looks at me like ‘God’,” Curley says as he tried to talk his way out of it.

“Does that make me a bad person? At least they were in the same family,” he laughs.

Organizers of the event tell Curley despite his gaffe, it still raised over $250,000 for Thomas’ foundation.

Read more about what inspired Thomas and his story here.