Earl Thomas’ Seattle Seahawks tenure ended with a fair amount of frustration, to say the least.
With a lofty contract looming, Thomas opted to sit out all of training camp as well as the entire preseason leading up to the 2018 NFL season. But instead of following in Le’Veon Bell’s footsteps, the veteran safety chose to return to the Seahawks days before Seattle’s season opener. Little did Thomas know, his ninth season in the league only would last four weeks.
Thomas had his season derailed after breaking a bone in his leg in Week 4. The shortened campaign didn’t affect Thomas’ payday, though, as the Baltimore Ravens signed him to a four-year, $55 million contract with $32 million guaranteed at the start of free agency. As such, the six-time Pro Bowl selection’s final moment in a Seahawks uniform saw a disgruntled Thomas flip his middle finger to Seattle’s sideline as he was carted off the State Farm Stadium field.
While it’s not difficult to put two and two together when it comes to Thomas’ decision to flip his team the bird, the 29-year-old opened up to NBC’s Peter King about the now-infamous scene.
“A lot of frustration that day,” Thomas told King. “I was in a battle with the team, and I chose to play, and I was betting on myself. So when it happened, it just added to my frustration. I did what I did, and I saw Pete Carroll, and I just was like, ‘You won. You won.’ Just a very disappointing day.”
Carroll was sympathetic toward Thomas after the incident, even advising the media and fans alike to cut the safety some slack. Still, it’s tough to blame Thomas for letting frustration boil over given all of the circumstances.
We have a feeling Richard Sherman certainly has no issue with how his former teammate handled things.
