Ravens Sent Earl Thomas Home After Getting Into Fight On Friday, Not Expected To Return On Sunday

Update:

Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that Earl Thomas is not expected to be in attendance for practice on Sunday as of now. 

“The expectation as I sit here right now, after talking to sources involved, is that he will not be in the building on Sunday,” Garafolo said on NFL Network.

Garafolo added that Ravens HC John Harbaugh’s post-practice media session could be where the team offers an official statement regarding Thomas and his future with the team.

Thomas posted the following Instagram along with a video of the play from practice before later deleting it:

“Being sent home sucks, I can’t take the reps I need to keep momentum going, but I can reflect on things and keep working my plan to help the team win,” he began. “This has been one of of my best camps crazy a situation like this can through dirt on it. Here is the clip that started the fight. A mental error on my part. A busted coverage that I tried to explain calmly meet with built up aggression turned into me getting into with a teammate. Since we didn’t keep it in house and I’m getting text and calls from ESPN reporters etc : thought I’d try and clear the air … situations like this narrow my window for error but this the path I choose.”

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Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the Ravens send S Earl Thomas home from their facility on Friday after he got into a fight with fellow safety Chuck Clark.

According to Pelissero, Thomas is not with the team as they return to the practice field on Saturday.

Jason La Canfora says the situation involving the Ravens and Thomas could come to a head today. Sources have told him that the Ravens’ leadership council made it clear to decision-makers they would prefer Thomas to not be around.

Releasing Thomas outright would create some cap issues, but it’s possible they could suspend him for conduct detrimental to the team, which in turn could provide them some cap relief.

La Canfora mentions that Thomas’ participation in position meeting was also an issue and Ravens’ players have voiced strong support for DeShon Elliott as a rising safety should Thomas be let go. La Canfora adds that players in Baltimore also love free agent safety Tony Jefferson, who is almost all the way back from his 2019 injury.

Mike Garafolo hears that everything including releasing Thomas is currently on the table for the Ravens. 

Thomas, 31, is a former first-round pick of the Seahawks back in 2010. He played out the final year of his five-year, $44.725 million contract that includes $27.725 million guaranteed and made a base salary of $8.5 million for the 2018 season.

Thomas later agreed to a four-year, $55 million contract with the Ravens last year that includes $32 million fully guaranteed at signing.

In 2019, Thomas appeared in 15 games for the Ravens and recorded 49 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble, a recovery and four passes defended.

We’ll have more regarding Thomas as the news is available.