Earl Thomas was sent home by the Ravens on Friday following an altercation with fellow Baltimore safety Chuck Clark, which has since been acknowledged by the seven-time Pro Bowler. In the aftermath of this fight coming to light, Thomas, who was also not on the practice field with the team for Saturday's session, took to social media to add some more context to his side of the situation. The 31-year-old also included a video from practice of the moments leading up to his altercation with Clark. Thomas admits that a "mental error on my part" on a blown coverage was what sparked things. Thomas also appeared a bit miffed that this situation wasn't kept "in house."
"Being sent home sucks," he said in the Instagram post, which has since been deleted. "I can't take the reps I need to keep momentum going, but I can reflect on things and keep working my plan to help the team win. This has been one of my best camps [and a] crazy situation like this can [throw] dirt on it. Here is the clip that started the fight ...
"A mental error on my part. A busted coverage that I tried to explain calmly met with built-up aggression turned into me getting into [it] with a teammate. Since we didn't keep it in house and I'm getting texts and calls from ESPN reporters etc, thought I'd try and clear the air. Situations like this narrow my window for error but this [is] the path I choose."
CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reports that a decision on the veteran's future with the Ravens could come to a head as soon as today. The club's "Leadership Council," a group of players who are considered to be the team's leaders, have relayed that they do not want Thomas around, according to La Canfora, and seem to be fully supporting Clark's side of the altercation. There's also the possibility for team discipline, per La Canfora, in the form of a suspension or other actions regarding Thomas.
Head coach John Harbaugh noted on Friday that while camp skirmishes are common around this time, this incident "just lasted longer than it needed to for me."
Should Thomas, who is set to enter his second year with the club, be let go by the Ravens, La Canfora says he continues to hear Baltimore players voice strong support for third-year safety DeShon Elliott. Free agent safety Tony Jefferson, who was released by the club back in February, has also curried favor in the Ravens' locker room and could be an option if they decided that extreme measures of necessary with Thomas.
