Seahawks safety Earl Thomas, recovering from a broken tibia sustained during the game against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 1, was dealt another hit over the weekend.
The Seattle Times reports the NFL handed down a $13,369 fine for the obscene gesture he made to the Seahawks bench during last Sunday's game.
The league fined Thomas for unsportsmanlike conduct, according to the Times. The fine is the standard rate for a first offense violation.
Thomas, Seattle’s first-round pick in 2010, has been one of the best safeties in the NFL throughout the decade. He’s in the last year of his current contract, and he’s made his feelings about the desire for an extension (or a trade to another team what would extend him) very clear. The Seahawks countered by standing pat, apparently risking losing Thomas at the end of the 2018 season without any real compensation, or worse, losing him earlier with an injury.
In the second half of the team’s game against the Cardinals, the worse scenario happened. Thomas suffered a lower body injury, and as he was carted off the field, he directed a one-fingered bit of invective in the direction of his own sideline.
Clearly, Thomas is not insisting that his team is “Number 1.”
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters following the game Thomas broke his leg.
A holdout through the preseason, Thomas has expressed concern about playing through the end of his contract with no long-term security. He has missed multiple practices, and the team has been on the fence about whether to fine him for those missed practices, and if so, how much.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported Sunday morning that the Seahawks were looking for two second-round picks in exchange for Thomas. There were no interested takers at that price, and if Thomas’ injury proves to be season-ending, there’s no way this looks good for head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider. It would appear that the Seahawks overplayed their hand, and Thomas’ gesture literally adds insult to injury.
