Former Browns LT Joe Thomas Calls Jeff Saturday Hire 'Egregious'

Count former Cleveland Browns All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas among those surprised by the Indianapolis Colts’ decision to hire Jeff Saturday as their interim head coach.

Speaking Friday on NFL Network, Thomas did not hold back on the matter, saying:

“When you hire your drinking buddy to be the head coach of an NFL football team, it is one of the most disrespectful things I’ve ever seen in my entire life to the commitment, the lifestyle, and the experience that it takes to be an NFL coach – any coach – much less the head coach of the Indianapolis Football Colts,” said Thomas. “When I saw this, I thought it was a joke. It was the most egregious thing I can ever remember happening in the NFL, and I went 1-31 my last two years in the NFL.”

Tell us how you really feel, Joe.

Thomas also said that Saturday is ‘not blameless for accepting the job’ and that it’s difficult to believe that both he and owner Jim Irsay genuinely feel that “this was the best thing for the Indianapolis Colts at this juncture of the season.”

Nevertheless, Saturday begins his tenure on Sunday as Indianapolis travels to Las Vegas to battle the Raiders. The Colts are currently +4.5 underdogs on the spread and +180 on the moneyline, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.