Hall of Famer Joe Thomas on skipping the NFL Draft to fish, raising Wagyu and transforming his health

In Cleveland, Joe Thomas became the rare franchise star whose greatness was measured less by noise than by the standard he brought every Sunday.

Thomas gave Browns fans an early glimpse of that character on draft day. While the league gathered its top prospects in New York, he spent the 2007 NFL Draft fishing with his father on Lake Michigan, then took the Browns call and became the No. 3 overall pick.

Now retired, leaner and fully invested in life beyond the NFL, the 2023 first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer joined to revisit that unforgettable draft-day call, the health transformation that changed his life and Hall of Fame Farms, his Wisconsin cattle business.

Thomas made national news before he became a Browns legend by skipping the New York draft spectacle. While other top prospects wore custom suits, walked across the stage and hugged Commissioner Roger Goodell, Thomas preferred a fishing rod and open water.

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"I wasn't really interested in the pomp and circumstance of the NFL Draft," Thomas said. "Didn't have a suit, and would much rather spend the day fishing with my dad."

When NFL representatives called to urge him to attend, warning teams might hold it against him, Thomas held his ground. On draft morning, he headed onto Lake Michigan to fish for salmon and trout with his father.

"I had a nice little Motorola flip phone with me. The Cleveland Browns called me, number three overall, and I said, 'Yup, I'm excited to be a Cleveland Brown. I'll be there this afternoon.' And that's what happened."

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That down-to-earth approach defined Thomas 11-year career in Cleveland and continues to shape his post-football life in Wisconsin. But retirement in 2018 also forced him to confront the toll of playing at 310-plus pounds.

"I had so much inflammation, so much pain, couldn't even walk down the stairs, was basically sliding down on my butt," Thomas recalled. "The doctor said, 'Your knee needs a knee replacement or you can lose weight.' And I was like, 'Well, say less.'"

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Thomas went all-in on rebuilding his body, cutting processed foods, refined carbohydrates and seed oils while embracing intermittent fasting, garden vegetables and high-quality animal proteins.

He said the result was less joint pain, restored mobility and a physique that now looks closer to an NFL tight end than the 310-pound lineman Browns fans remember.

That health overhaul eventually led to Hall of Fame Farms.

What began as a Wisconsin cash-crop operation took a turn when Thomas kids decided a "real farm" needed livestock.

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