Potential Fallout for Baltimore Ravens Following Earl Thomas Incident
The Baltimore Ravens practice a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to domestic violence following the Ray Rice incident in 2014.
The recent event involving safety Earl Thomas will certainly prompt some meetings with the front office and coaches, but the details are much different from other cases.
Rice was released after TMZ published the video of him assaulting his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City casino. Rice never played another snap in the NFL.
Earlier this year, Baltimore released defensive end Ufomba Kamalu after he was charged with domestic violence stemming from an argument with a woman in his Pikesville, Md., home.
The situation with Thomas is different because he does not appear to be the aggressor. In addition, he was able to stabilize the situation by wresting the handgun away from his wife before anyone was injured.
The Ravens released a terse statement following the incident: "We became aware of the situation when we read and saw it on the reports late last night and early this morning.”
Thomas' wife, Nina Thomas, faces a charge of burglary of a habitation with an intent to commit another felony and is reportedly due to make her first appearance in court on June 8 in Texas.
Earl Thomas was not arrested and has been upfront about the situation.
"So my agency sent me [a message] and said, I'm going to be on TMZ tomorrow from an altercation that happened with me and Nina," Thomas said in the video posted on Instagram. "So, I just want to get ahead of it. And I mean it's really not anybody's business. It pisses me off that it got out, but it's the world we live in today.
"But instead of talking about us, just keep us in your prayers. Stuff like this happens bro, you know ... we try to live the best lives we possibly can but sometimes things don't go as planned. Just pray for us as we go through this stuff. We're back talking. You know, I'm seeing my kids. So just keep us in your prayers."
Thomas signed a four-year, $55 million deal with Baltimore prior to the 2019 season. He finished the season with 49 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, four passes defended, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery, helping Baltimore’s defense rank No. 3 in points (17.6) and No. 4 in yards (300.6) allowed per game.
Thomas also earned a seventh trip to the Pro Bowl.
If the Ravens decided to release Earl Thomas, the move would cost them $25 million, according to Spotrac. Baltimore would be challenged to absorb that type of financial impact.
For now, it looks like the Ravens will move forward with Thomas considering the early details of the case. The NFL will likely also look into the incident.
