Ravens terminate Thomas’ contract
The Baltimore Ravens terminated the contract of seven-time Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas, who got involved in a fight with a teammate Friday and did not attend practice Saturday.
According to a statement released Sunday by the team, Thomas was released “for personal conduct that adversely affected the Baltimore Ravens.”
The action stems from Thomas’ fray with defensive back Chuck Clark at practice after Thomas admittedly blew a coverage assignment.
Coach John Harbaugh had little to say on the matter after practice.
“I think the statement speaks for itself. There’s really not much more to add to that,“he said. “Just planning on leaving it at that at this point.”
ESPN reported Dallas would be the leading contender to sign Thomas.
The Cowboys’ flirtation with the addition of Thomas is not a new storyline. Thomas showed up outside the Cowboys’ locker room after the Seahawks defeated Dallas in Week 16 of the 2017 season. He then proceeded to express his desire to be a member of the Cowboys to former head coach Jason Garrett.
“If y’all have the chance, come get me,” he said.
If Thomas was released outright, Baltimore would have taken a $15 million salary-cap hit this year and $10 million in 2021. By voiding his $10 million guaranteed salary, he will count $5 million against the cap this season and $10 million next year.
Thomas posted an explanation on his Instagram account, but subsequently deleted it. The post said: “A mental error on my part .. A Busted coverage that I tried to explain calmly meet with built up aggression turned into me getting into with a teammate.”
Positive tests could be false
The NFL had 77 positive COVID-19 tests from 11 teams re-examined by a New Jersey lab after false positives, and all those tests came back negative.
The league asked the New Jersey lab BioReference to investigate the results, and those 77 tests are being re-tested once more to make sure they were false positives. Anyone testing positive for COVID-19 — even a false positive upon a retest — is required to have two more negative tests before being cleared to return.
49ers’ Aiyuk, Ford injured
The San Francisco 49ers had two key players leave practice early with rookie receiver Brandon Aiyuk and edge rusher Dee Ford each suffering lower-body injuries. There was no immediate word on the extent of the injuries.
Odds and ends
The Browns, in need of linebacker depth, signed former Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith. … The Cardinals signed veteran cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick to a one-year deal to boost their secondary after a season-ending injury to Robert Alford. … Washington released wide receiver Cody Latimer amid his legal issues. He was arrested in May and charged with a felony count of illegal discharge of a firearm. … Broncos’ rookie cornerback Michael Ojemudia missed practice with a thigh injury and linebacker Justin Strnad left practice after hurting a wrist.