Seahawks Choose Seattle Doctor To Raise 12 Flag For Home Opener

SEATTLE, WA — A Seattle doctor and his family will be the only fans at CenturyLink Field for the Seahawks' home opener Sunday night against the New England Patriots.

In a joint announcement Friday, the Seahawks and Walmart announced that Dr. Eliot Fagley, an anesthesiologist who leads the COVID-19 response at Virginia Mason's critical care unit, will raise the 12 Flag before kickoff, then take in the game with his family in an otherwise empty stadium.

"Dr. Fagley is responsible for ensuring his team is adequately prepared, staffed, and protected to care for all critically ill patients at Virginia Mason, as well as to keep the critical care team informed as new data on COVID-19 becomes available," the team wrote in a news release. "He also helps coordinate communications across specialties at the hospital to optimize the care they are providing."

The Seahawks said Fagley was chosen both for his personal dedication and to act as a representative for all health care workers that have served on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic since the first death in late February.

"Dr. Fagley and his team embody what it means to be a hero," said Jeff Richards, the Seahawks' Vice President of Marketing and Community Engagement. "The raising of the 12 Flag is an incredibly special tradition that we reserve for people have made a significant contribution in representing our Seahawks and Pacific Northwest community."

The doctor joins a list of more than 140 Seattle-area community members, celebrities and heroes that have raised the 12 Flag since 2003.