Ernest Jones IV Brings the Heat at Seahawks’ Super Bowl Parade - and He’s Not Apologizing for It
The Seahawks weren’t just celebrating a Super Bowl win on Wednesday - they were making a statement. And no one delivered that message louder, or more unapologetically, than linebacker Ernest Jones IV.
During the team’s championship parade, Jones took the mic wearing a shirt that featured quarterback Sam Darnold flipping the bird in a Johnny Cash-esque pose. It was bold, brash, and very on-brand for a team that’s thrived on being doubted all season long.
“I’m gonna keep it a buck,” Jones told the roaring Seattle crowd. “I’m probably the last person they should have gave the mic to. But we finna turn up, man.”
And turn up, he did.
He shouted out team owner Jody Allen, general manager John Schneider, and head coach Mike Macdonald for helping guide the Seahawks to the mountaintop. But his real fire came when he turned his attention to the guys in the locker room - the ones who battled week in and week out to make this championship dream a reality.
“Shout out to these badass mutherfuckers who play this game the right way,” Jones said, before delivering a message to the team’s critics. “Not only do we have the best defense in the world, we got the best team in the world. And quite frankly, if you got anything to say for my quarterback, you got anything to say for my defense, you got anything to say for my O-line, and you got anything to say about the city of Seattle, I got two words for you: F*** you!”
This wasn’t just post-championship bravado. It was the culmination of a season where the Seahawks turned every slight into fuel - and no one embodied that chip-on-the-shoulder mentality more than Jones.
Back in Week 11, after a rough four-interception outing by Darnold in a loss to the Rams, Jones didn’t hesitate to step up and defend his quarterback. That night, he echoed the same two words he used on the parade stage.
“Sam’s been balling,” Jones said then. “If we want to try to define Sam by this game, Sam’s had us in every f***ing game.
So for him to sit there and say, ‘That’s my fault,’ no it’s not. It was plays that defensively we could have made.
Opportunities where we could have gotten better stops. It’s football, man.
He’s our quarterback. We’ve got his back.”
That loss to the Rams? It ended up being the last time Seattle tasted defeat.
From that point on, the Seahawks rattled off 10 straight wins - including a flawless postseason run - and Darnold threw just four interceptions the rest of the way. None came in the playoffs.
It’s easy to look back now and see that moment as a turning point - not just for Darnold, but for the entire team. Jones’ words weren’t just fiery soundbites; they were a rallying cry. A signal that this team wasn’t going to let one bad game define their season, or their quarterback.
Now, with the Lombardi Trophy in hand, Jones and the Seahawks are letting the world know exactly how they feel - loud, proud, and unfiltered.
Seattle didn’t just win a Super Bowl. They did it their way. And they’re not about to apologize for the noise they made along the way.