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Earl Thomas was just one of a few players who was embroiled in a contract dispute over the offseason in an attempt to get the Seahawks to pay him the money he felt he deserved in exchange for putting his body on the line whenever the ball is snapped.
Unlike Le’Veon Bell, Thomas decided to report to the team just a few days before the season kicked off.
Unfortunately, his decision ultimately bit him in the ass after his season ended when he suffered a broken leg during a game on Sunday and flipped off the Seattle sideline to show how he really felt.
A number of players quickly came to his defense following the gesture and showed their support for the defensive back.
Praying for my brother @Earl_Thomas. Most will never know the hard work and sacrifice daily that goes into playing this game. He will bounce back better than ever that’s who he i.
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) October 1, 2018
This included Bell, who promised to continue to be the “bad guy” to highlight the perceived injustice (although he’ll reportedly come back in a few weeks).
However, we live in the age of the Hot Take, which means it was only a matter of time before someone said a really, really stupid thing concerning Thomas’ situation.
That person appears to be Cris Carter, who made an absolutely boneheaded statement about the injury on First Thing’s First on Monday.
.@criscarter80 has a message for Earl Thomas:
"Earl, you're bigger than that. Football's been good to you, Seattle's been good to you." pic.twitter.com/IKdDLIRaNP
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) October 1, 2018
Carter accused Thomas of being classless before launching into a senseless diatribe about how he should actually be thankful for how the team has treated him:
“The Seattle Seahawks just made him rich. Now, I don’t know what they did to deserve that, but that’s just not the way to go out.”
Carter decided that wasn’t spicy enough and continued, saying:
“Even if he was disgruntled. Even if they’ve had intense discussions off, there was no way to do that because it’s not about Seattle anymore, Earl. That’s your brand. It wasn’t the Seattle Seahawks. That was Earl Thomas. … Earl, you’re bigger than that. Football’s been good to you. Seattle’s been good to you. Don’t get caught up in the business of it.”
Ah, yes. I for one am also shocked Thomas was more concerned with his health in the moment than the impact flipping the bird may have had on his personal brand.
I assume it’s only a matter of time before Rovell chimes in and lets us know how much Thomas really lost thanks to the gesture.