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.
