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Seahawks legend Earl Thomas comments on infamous middle finger for Pete Carroll

Seattle's greatest free safety of all time opens up on his legacy with the Legion of Boom, plus his controversial exit.
Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas gestures towards his bench after breaking his lower left leg against the Arizona Cardinals in the second half at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Seahawks Vs Cardinals 2018
Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas gestures towards his bench after breaking his lower left leg against the Arizona Cardinals in the second half at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Seahawks Vs Cardinals 2018 | Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports

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A lot of Seattle Seahawks legends have fallen out with the organization over the years. Usually they make their way back into the fold, making appearances around the facility and occasionally showing up on the sidelines, as has been the case with Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Marshawn Lynch, among others.

One Legion of Boom legend who you don't see at practice or getting celebrated with other franchise greats is former free safety Earl Thomas, who was arguably the best player on the roster when the Seahawks were at their best a decade ago. Thomas had a pretty infamous exit with Seattle, flipping a one-finger salute to former head coach Pete Carroll on the sidelines after he suffered a serious leg injury in Arizona, signaling the end of his run with the Seahawks.

At long last we've finally heard ET's side of the story. Thomas sat down for an interview with Chris Egan from King 5 that aired last night, and he spoke about what went down. Apparently Thomas was upset that he didn't get a new contract before the injury.

"Coach Caroll just told me that we was thinking about getting me a new, new contract... This would have been my third one, but I ended up getting hurt the next game. So I was just pissed that I missed, missed camp. They didn't try to give me a deal, knowing I'm the best player of defense. They didn't try to give me a deal. They made me wait it out. Then I get injured. It sucked, so I was just like. You knew I was pissed. I hate being an introvert. It just makes a bad light around everybody around me because I'm pissed off."

Thomas eventually signed with the Baltimore Ravens, appearing in 15 games during the 2019 season. That was the last time he was on an NFL field, though.

All together, Thomas made seven NFC Pro Bowl teams, earned three first-team All-Pro honors and was the best player on a Super Bowl-winning juggernaut. Ordinarily that's the kind of career that gets you into the Pro Fooball Hall of Fame, but he missed out in his first year of eligibility.

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Tim Weaver
TIM WEAVER

Tim Weaver has been writing about the NFL since the 2013 season for multiple teams and outlets, including USA Today and The Sporting News. He currently covers the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers for On SI.