Carroll: Give Thomas 'a little slack' for middle finger at Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is showing empathy for Earl Thomas after the safety's gesture toward his team's bench.

"I know there's been a lot of talk about it. People that are criticizing whatever happened don't understand," the Seahawks head coach said, according to USA Today's Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz.

"This was an earth-shattering moment for the kid. He knew exactly what had happened to him."

Thomas spent much of the offseason embroiled in a contract standoff with the Seahawks. He ended the holdout to play out the final season of his four-year, $40-million deal with Seattle, only to fracture his lower left leg late in Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals.

The 29-year-old said a week prior that he missed practices in an effort to protect his body from injury while playing without any long-term security.

"Give him a little slack. This is a very, very difficult moment that most people would never understand what this is all about," Carroll said.