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An arrest warrant has been issued for former Seattle Seahawks safety and seven-time Pro Bowler Earl Thomas, charging him with a third-degree felony.
Ryan Autullo from the Austin American-Statesman first reported on Friday, May 6, that an arrest warrant was signed in Austin, Texas, on April 27 charging the soon-to-be 33-year-old with violating a court protective order by sending threatening messages to a woman about her and her children.
According to Travis County court records, Thomas violated the protective order two or more times within 12 months. The records show the protective order was requested in December 2020, the month after Earl Thomas’ wife Nina Thomas filed for divorce.
Trey Dolezal, the attorney representing Thomas in his divorce, told the newspaper that the warrant stems from the former Seahawks safety attempting to contact his wife and see his children.
“They were consciously and collectively working together to see his kids,” Dolezal said. “I don’t really understand how he could be in violation by working together to visit with his children.”
Additional Details Involving Earl Thomas’ Arrest Warrant
According to the Austin American-Statesman, police said “Thomas violated a protective order that was issued in May 2021” mandating that he only communicate with the woman “through a co-parenting phone application. The woman told police that Thomas refuses to download the application and instead reaches out to her by phone, and he arrives unannounced at places she frequents.”
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The outlet reported that “on April 18, police say Thomas texted the woman that he obtained two handguns earlier that day” and sent messages the following day threatening the woman and her children, whom he said he’d let relatives “poison.”
Court records also confirm Thomas was arrested in February 2021 on a misdemeanor charge of carrying a weapon unlawfully. The case was dismissed a year later after Thomas agreed to forfeit the firearm.
The April arrest warrant was still active as of May 12, according to court records.
Thomas Seeking to Resume NFL Career
The arrest warrant was filed April 28, just days after Thomas announced that he was attempting an NFL comeback. The former Legion of Boom star texted ESPN’s Adam Schefter on April 22 expressing his desire to return to the league.
“I’m ready,” Thomas texted Schefter. “I’m in shape. My timing is on point — I’m proud of that.”
Thomas was one of the most dominant safeties in the league. He was named to five All-Pro teams with Seattle while also going to six Pro Bowls on his way to being named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team.
Coming off a broken leg that ended his 2018 season, Thomas signed on with the Baltimore Ravens. He played one season with Baltimore, even earning a Pro Bowl selection, but was dismissed from the team the following training camp after an altercation with a teammate.
Given the current situation, along with Thomas’ age and tumultuous ending in Baltimore, it’s highly unlikely that any teams are eager to sign him.