Earl Thomas injured his leg in the fourth quarter against Arizona, then appeared to flip off someone on the Seahawks' sideline as he was being carted off the field.
Warning: Video in embedded tweet contains obscene gesture.
Seahawks standout free safety Earl Thomas was carted off the field at State Farm Stadium with an injury to his lower left leg with 8:59 to play in Sunday’s game at Arizona.
Thomas, Seattle’s All-Pro free safety, was fitted with an air cast and then carted off the field. Thomas was injured on the end of a play when he dove across the end zone to defend a 22-yard touchdown pass from Arizona’s Josh Rosen to receiver Chad Williams. When Thomas leaped over Williams, his leg appeared to hit the receiver’s leg. Thomas came up limping and appeared to be holding his left knee.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said after the game that Thomas has a lower leg fracture.
Teammates huddled around Thomas, many kneeling and holding hands as Thomas was initially treated. Former Seattle teammate Derrick Coleman and other members of the Cardinals also huddled around Thomas.
Thomas was then carted off the field. As he was being driven off the field, he made an obscene hand gesture that appeared to be directed toward the Seattle bench.
It’s been a tense few months between Thomas and the Seahawks. Thomas held out before returning the Wednesday before the season opener at Denver, seeking a contract extension.
He returned without a new contract and said that his goal would be to “protect’’ himself before he could get paid.
Thomas then held himself out of a couple of practices in the week leading up to the Seahawks’ home opener against the Dallas Cowboys, and was consequently fined by the Seahawks.
After the Seahawks’ win over Dallas last week, Thomas was surprisingly candid with reporters, saying that he wanted to be appreciated, and explaining that he sat out of practices leading up to the game because he needed to “make sure my body is 100 (percent), and I’m investing in myself.”
“If they were invested in me, I would be out there practicing,” Thomas said last week. “But if I feel like if I have anything, even if it’s something small, if I got a headache, I’m not practicing. But I don’t want that to be taken the wrong way — I know I’ll get fined.”
Thomas practiced this week, and was granted a rest day on Wednesday.
Thomas was the second Seahawks player to get carted off the field with an injury in Seattle’s game against the Cardinals on Sunday. Seahawks tight end Will Dissly was carted off with a knee injury in the first quarter and did not return.