Report: Earl Thomas' future with Ravens in question after camp fight
The Baltimore Ravens sent Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas home from the team facility Friday following an altercation with fellow safety Chuck Clark, Thomas confirmed Saturday.
Thomas is not expected to rejoin the team until after the weekend at the earliest. The Ravens are evaluating their options, including releasing the 11-year veteran or suspending him for conduct detrimental to the team (which could void the $10 million in guarantees Thomas is owed this season), according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.
Thomas shared a video of the play that led to the altercation and reflected on the incident on Instagram. The post was deleted hours later.
"Being sent home sucks, I can't take the reps I need to keep momentum going," Thomas wrote. "But I can reflect on things and keep working my plan to help the team win. ... This has been one of my best camps, crazy a situation like this can (throw) dirt on it."
The 31-year-old added that the incident started after he tried to explain a play to fourth-year pro Clark, calling it "a mental error."
The Baltimore Sun's Jonas Shaffer reported earlier Saturday that Thomas and Clark engaged in a "heated confrontation" during practice, starting with a sideline argument before multiple flare-ups prompted teammates to intervene.
Thomas was not present when the Ravens returned to the field for another team session Saturday morning, and it appears his future with the organization may be in question.
"We'll find out the details of it," Harbaugh said of the issue Friday, according to Shaffer. "It just lasted longer than it needed to for me. You're going to have these things in training camp. I think you're going to have tempers flare, sure. It happens every training camp, especially right about now, probably.
"But I don't like them when they extend like that and eat into our reps, and we're going to have to find out why and make sure that doesn’t happen. We need to keep our eye on the prize, which is preparing for the (Cleveland) Browns."
Thomas, a three-time All-Pro, joined the Ravens as a free agent last year following the conclusion of a nine-year run with the Seattle Seahawks.