Seahawks S Earl Thomas, still upset over contract, flips middle finger as he's carted off with broken leg

This is why players hold out, using whatever leverage they have to get as much money as they can.

Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas held out through the summer, hoping to get a better contract from the team. It wasn’t unreasonable. Thomas has played at a Hall of Fame level for the team during an unprecedented run of success for the Seahawks.

Thomas ended his holdout and played when the Seahawks wouldn’t relent. And he ended up leaving Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals with a broken leg.

And as he left, he flipped the middle finger, seemingly at the Seahawks sideline.

Earl Thomas injured defending a touchdown pass

Thomas injured himself coming over to cover a touchdown by Cardinals receiver Chad Williams. Initially, it was hard to tell what the injury was, but he was down for a while. Usually the injury cart doesn’t come out unless it’s something serious. X-rays later confirmed Thomas broke his leg on the play.

Seahawks teammates gathered around Thomas, one of the leaders of that team. He was loaded on the cart. And as he left, he gave a one-finger salute that brought to a head exactly how tense things had gotten between him and the team.

An ugly situation between Thomas and Seahawks

Thomas has been sitting out some practices with what could be considered minor ailments. He explained that he was investing in himself because the team didn’t want to give him more financial security.

Thomas’ holdout got ugly. He didn’t show up until Week 1. The team was holding out for a lot in a trade; a report Sunday said they were not giving him up for anything less than a second-round pick. Thomas didn’t want to play for a team that didn’t show him the respect he thought he deserved, the Seahawks were willing to hang onto him and get what they could out of him, and perhaps trade him if someone was willing to meet their price. If Thomas’ injury is significant, the latter won’t be happening anymore.

It has been a bad situation for the Seahawks and one of the greatest players in team history. It got much worse with the injury, and Thomas’ gesture as he left on a cart.

– – – – – – –

Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
Follow @YahooSchwab

Subscribe to The Yahoo Sports NFL Podcast
Apple Podcasts• Stitcher • Google Podcasts

More NFL coverage from Yahoo Sports:
• Cardinals QB Bradford loses small fortune after demotion
• Report: Steelers ‘actively shopping’ star player
• Rookie head coach makes bold call to win in OT
• Bears star ejected for shoving ref in blowout win