Injured Seahawks Player Flips Off His Own Team

Earl Thomas had been feuding with brass for months
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 1, 2018 2:34 AM CDT
Injured Seahawks Player Flips Off His Own Team
Seattle Seahawks defensive back Earl Thomas (29) is greeted by Arizona Cardinals players as he leaves the field after breaking his leg during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, in Glendale, Ariz. The Seahawks won 20-17.   (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Earl Thomas' career as a Seattle Seahawk is probably over—and it did not have a happy ending. The star free safety gave the finger to the Seahawks sideline during Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals as he was wheeled off the field in the fourth quarter with a lower leg fracture, USA Today reports. Thomas, who was drafted by the Seahawks in 2010 and helped them to Super Bowl glory in 2014, is in the final year of a four-year, $40 million contract and has been feuding with the team for months, demanding that they grant him either a trade or an extension. The 29-year-old sat out training camp and missed three practice sessions in recent weeks.

Teammates including linebacker Bobby Wagner say they can understand Thomas being angry, SB Nation reports. "When guys get hurt, and when crazy things happen, there's a lot of emotions. There's a lot of things that go through somebody’s mind and somebody’s heart," Wagner says. "It might not be right. It might not be the best emotions, but it’s good to have emotions. Let him have emotions for whatever it is." Seattle Times columnist Matt Calkins says it's sad that the gesture will likely be fans' final image of Thomas as a Seahawk. "Given the severity of the injury and his grievances with the organization, it's hard to imagine he'll ever don the blue and green again," he writes. (A Buffalo Bills player decided to retire in the middle of a game.)

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