The Baltimore Ravens parted ways with Earl Thomas on Sunday, two days after the seven-time Pro Bowl safety got into an on-field scuffle with teammate Chuck Clark.
This move caught many by surprise. In fact, Super Bowl champion and Ravens analyst Qadry Ismail said there could be “a storm brewing” in Baltimore.
“His stats, his resume says he’s a great player. Typically you don’t release players of his stature,” Ismail said of Thomas on The DA Show. “But I think that’s where you see something more than just one incident had to have happened for him to be in this spot and for the Ravens to say, ‘I think it’s best for us to move on and go elsewhere.’”
Thomas allegedly punched Clark at practice Friday. This isn’t the first time that Thomas has gotten into it with a teammate. He confronted Ravens nose tackle Brandon Williams after a loss to the Browns last September and has reportedly been late to – or missed – several team meetings over the last year and beyond.
“I think for John Harbaugh, the culture he created is one of not only a coach-to-player accountability, but I also believe it is a player-to-coach accountability,” Ismail said. “When the player feels that there is something in error, then that’s where you have a chain of command that you can utilize to file your grievance, if you will. I’m not talking about [the] NFLPA; I’m talking about in-house stuff. . . . You have these little incidents that you nip in the bud and you just keep moving on. No big deal. Hey, in training camp, somebody had some tempers flare up. Off you move.
“I think with Earl, even some of his comments as far as how he got to Baltimore, he really didn’t know Baltimore as well,” Ismail continued. “There were times where I guess he wanted to look elsewhere before he ultimately signed with the team. But his mindset, I think, is one thing as far as how to play, what his role is. And then at the same time, you’ve also got other players who feel a certain type of way when it comes to, yeah, this is how we do things here in Baltimore. I think that little bit of a clash comes about, and next thing you know you have a disconnect.”
Thomas and Clark apparently were at odds over a busted coverage at practice.
“A busted coverage is one thing. I’ve seen that so many times, and guys work it out,” Ismail said. “But I think that’s one of those things where you’re in the meeting – and I could easily see this. Just because I’ve done the Pro Bowls so many times, just because I have played at a high level and made plays – okay, we all know that that’s all well and good, but what have you done for me lately? If you’re sitting there making mistakes, but when I – whatever the other player is – make a mistake, you’re going to jump on me?
“I think that’s where guys get a little bit salty about it,” Ismail continued. “Don’t be jumping off at me when you aren’t playing at the level you should be expecting from other players. That’s that hypocrisy. I think that’s where you see it come out. The leadership is like, ‘Nah, we can move on from him.’ I see accountability, I think, from player to coach – as in John Harbaugh saying, ‘If I truly believe in this counsel, if I truly believe that what I need to do is do what’s good for the team, then let me go ahead and get rid of this bad seed.’”