Seattle Seahawks‘ safety Earl Thomas suffered a season-ending injury to his lower leg during their Sept. 30 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. He will face hefty fines for his obscene gesture that followed the incident as he was carted off the field.
The NFL has fined Thomas $13,369 for giving the middle finger to the Seattle sideline after his injury. Due to the occurrence happening outside the field of play, a penalty was not assessed during the game. The league themselves decided to fine Thomas because they believe that he represented unsportsmanlike conduct.
“I can understand why he did it. The Seahawks should have paid him more and now he won’t re-sign with Seattle,” junior business management major Mikayle Holloway said. “It sucks for him. The middle finger was definitely warranted.”
Thomas’ improper behavior towards his own team’s sideline may have confused some fans. According to ESPN, Seahawks’ coach Pete Carroll says that people need to cut Earl Thomas some slack. “People that are criticizing whatever happened don’t understand. This was an earth-shattering moment for a kid.”
Earl Thomas was the last player left on the team that was part of the Legion of Boom, a nickname that was given to the Seattle Seahawks’ defense during their rise to prominence that began in 2011. At 29 years old, Thomas is considered one of the older players. He had one year left on his contract and was hoping to land a longer one. Earl Thomas protested his contract by sitting during his offseason and ended up returning to the season without a new deal.
When it comes to securing new contracts, it’s personal for some players. Earl Thomas knew the work he had put in for years and everything he had given up along the way. He was frustrated that his organization wasn’t understanding that and they weren’t treating him with the respect that he has earned.
Senior criminology major Tyler Chamberlain agrees with his concerns. “His frustrations are valid because the structure of NFL contracts are all about business, opposed to players’ health and financial security.” He said that Earl Thomas has a right to be angry because he is not getting what he deserves.
Thomas was protesting his contract because he wanted to play with no worries. He argued that if someone is risking their body to deliver value to an organization, then they deserve assurance that the organization will take care of them if they were to get hurt. He writes on his website, “It’s the reason I’m holding out – I want to be able to give my everything, on every play, without any doubt on my mind.”
Thomas wrote about two specific things that he was asking of the Seattle Seahawks. He just wanted one of two things, an extension or to be traded to a team that wants him to be part of their future.
The very circumstance Earl Thomas was protesting came to life. He wanted a new contract so that he could play football without worrying about financial jeopardy for possible injuries. Thomas broke his left tibia, this being his second broken leg in three seasons. Earl Thomas did not secure a new contract, he’s certainly not financially protected for his recent major injury, and he will be out for the rest of the season.
