Getty Earl Thomas is still not pleased with Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.
Leading up to the Ravens-Seahawks game, former Seattle safety Earl Thomas insisted it is “business as usual,” per ESPN. During the offseason, Thomas was much more blunt about his thoughts about the Seahawks and, specifically, Pete Carroll.
Thomas offered no apology for his gesture towards the sideline being his last image as a Seahawk. Thomas told ESPN this summer that he had “no regrets” about the incident and felt like Carroll was being dishonest with him.
“I don’t regret my decision,” Thomas told ESPN. “If my teammates felt like it was toward them, I regret that part. But I don’t regret doing that to Pete…I gave Pete the middle finger because I felt like he wasn’t being honest with me.”
Thomas went on to imply that he felt tossed aside by the organization and that the Seahawks were quick to move on from him given all he had contributed to the team.
“I think my time just ran out,” Thomas explained to ESPN. “Pete and the front office didn’t value me like they used to, and I just talked to Coach Carroll, and he was saying how he was trying to get me in the plans of getting a new contract. But I got hurt the next week. I think I hurt myself too by my actions getting carted off the field…We got to walk with each other the rest of our lives because we won a Super Bowl together. But they’ll love you one minute and then hate you the next. That was our relationship.”
Pete Carroll Insisted His “Heart’s Pretty Big, Pretty Wide Open” for Earl Thomas
Despite no real apology, Carroll emphasized that he does not have anything against Thomas. The Seahawks coach praised the former Seattle safety leading up to their matchup.
“Obviously he was upset,” Carroll noted, per The Seattle Times. “But, my heart’s pretty big, pretty wide open to these guys from the time we spend together and all the stuff that we do. It’s way more important than some gesture or some statement. … I kind of have space for them to be themselves and how they do it and how they handle it — I’m going to love them anyway.”
Carroll is open to reconnecting with Thomas but is not sure if it will happen before the Ravens-Seahawks game.
“It depends on how the day goes,” Carroll noted to ESPN. “If we bump into each other, we will. … When it happens, it happens.”
Thomas Admitted He Is Open to Talking to Carroll
Despite Thomas’ harsh words about his former coach, the safety noted he was open to speaking with Carroll if they see each other on Sunday. Thomas noted he is “going to take it as it comes.”
“I’m going to take it as it comes,” Thomas said, per ESPN. “I still have a good relationship with most of the guys on the staff. I’ll definitely speak if we time it up.”