Earl Thomas Doesn't Regret Giving Pete Carroll the Middle Finger

Thomas broke his leg last September and was seen flipping off his coach as he was being carted off the field.

New Baltimore Ravens safety Earl Thomas doesn't regret flipping his middle finger to Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll 10 months ago.

In a sit-down interview with ESPN's Josina Anderson on Wednesday, Thomas said he stood by the infamous action and has not spoken to Carroll since.

"I don't regret my decision," Thomas said. "If my teammates felt like it was toward them, I regret that part. But I don't regret doing that to Pete."

The incident occurred in September when Thomas went down with a broken left leg that required surgery during the second half of a game against the Cardinals. As he was being carted off the field, Thomas gave the middle finger in the direction of Seattle's sideline because he didn't believe Carroll was being genuine when he showed concern on the field after the injury.

"I gave Pete the middle finger because I felt like he wasn't being honest with me," Thomas said.

Thomas, a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro, said farewell to the Seahawks in free agency and signed a four-year, $55 million contract with the Ravens in March. His 28 career interceptions rank third among all players since 2010, when he was drafted by the Seahawks with the 14th overall pick.

Thomas won a Super Bowl with Seattle in 2014, after which he signed a four-year, $40 million extension. A contract dispute over the past year led to his relationship with the team souring, however. Thomas skipped all offseason activities, training camp and preseason in 2018.

"I think my time just ran out," Thomas said. "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," Thomas added. "But they'll love you one minute and then hate you the next. That was our relationship."

The Ravens will face the Seahawks in Seattle on Oct. 20.