Seahawks players support Thomas after injury, middle finger incident

Earl Thomas appears to be irate with the Seattle Seahawks, but his teammates have his back unconditionally.

Thomas fractured his leg during Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals and left on a cart. While being driven to the locker room, he appeared to stick his middle finger up at the Seahawks' sideline.

The six-time Pro Bowler held out through the entire preseason hoping to receive a contract extension. Since rejoining the club to begin the regular season, he's repeatedly expressed his displeasure with the Seahawks for not giving him a lucrative deal.

Thomas' teammates had no issue with his gesture toward the sideline, and they empathized with the 29-year-old's desire to get a contract more in line with his value.

"I know surface-level thinking tells you he's making a lot of money. And yeah, he is making a lot of money. But relative to this game, relative to what this role entails - he’s a Hall of Fame-caliber player. He’s the best safety in the league," Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin said, via Matt Calkins of The Seattle Times. "And just like any other profession, you want to be paid accordingly, especially when you have such a high risk of being injured."

"I feel it. You have a guy who gives his all," Baldwin added when asked about Thomas giving the middle finger. "He literally puts his body on the line. … I know there’s a business they have to run. I understand that. But how can you get mad at him? He’s got a business he has to run too."

"Yeah, we got the (win),’’ Seahawks defensive end Frank Clark said, via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. "But I feel like we’re the losers at the end of the day because we lost a Hall of Fame player. We lost a player you can’t replace. … It’s Earl Thomas, let’s be honest."

Thomas is one of the most iconic players in franchise history, playing a major role in the Seahawks' lone Super Bowl victory in 2013. Some of his teammates tried to put his career in perspective following the injury.

"I hope it’s not his last game,’’ Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “I hope we can bring him back. We had a lot of great years together. I don’t think you’re ever going to find another player like him. I’ve said that enough. His speed, his intelligence, the way he plays the game. You’ll never see it again."