Earl Thomas appears to have sustained a serious leg injury. For fans always screaming for players to get on the field, this is why they should hold out more often.
This is why players hold out, and why more players should hold out when they want a better deal. Seattle Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas spent the entirety of OTAs, minicamps and training camp holding out in hopes of getting an extension as he approached the last year of a four-year,
$40 million pact.
However, Seattle wasn’t in the mood to give Thomas another contract, despite the fact his resume includes a six Pro Bowl appearances and five All-Pro seasons. Now, after returning to the team for the regular season while being clear that he’s unhappy, Thomas appears to suffered a very serious leg injury.
Thomas was taken off the field on Sunday afternoon against the Arizona Cardinals on a cart with his left leg in an air cast. While coming off the gridiron, it appeared that Thomas gave the middle finger to his own sideline, presumably because the team wouldn’t give him security.
Thomas, 29, maybe should have continued to stay away from the team, much like Le’Veon Bell is doing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bell is getting plenty of criticism, but he’s staying healthy while keeping his future in tact. After this year, if Bell is healthy, he is going to paid a mint from some team. It’s horrendous to see this happen to Thomas, who now is going to have a tougher time getting the kind of long-term deal he was hoping for as a free agent this upcoming winter.
Fans often want players to get on the field because they can’t stand the idea of a millionaire complaining for the sake of more money. What they don’t udnerstand in some many cases is that the teams and owners will cut a player, even a great one, for the slightest reason. In this case, Thomas decided to come back and honor his deal, only to blow his leg out. It’s a shame, and also a reinforcing lesson to players down the road; play for you.