While the later part of the regular season saw the hiring and firing of many coaches, the former part saw many veteran players end their season with gruesome injuries, including Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, and Deshaun Watson. Among them was Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints, whose season came to an abrupt halt during the team’s Week 10 game.
After the injury, while some players turned their focus to rehabilitation or enjoyed downtime with their families, he took a different approach by directing blame toward his own quarterback, Derek Carr, for the injury that prematurely ended his season.
Michael Thomas accuses Derek Carr for his injury
In a recent interaction with fans on social media, NFL wide receiver Michael Thomas shared insights about his season-ending knee injury, placing blame on Carr for the unfortunate incident. Thomas attributed his severe injury to what he described as a “bad ball” thrown by Carr during a game.
According to Thomas, if it weren’t for the inaccurate pass from Carr, he believes he could have had a successful season. His tweet on the subject ignited a debate among fans, with many expressing their opinions on this controversial claim.
“well if I didn’t get set up by a bad ball I probably would’ve had a light little 1k yards this year but could of should of I know I get it lol,” Thomas wrote on Twitter.
The injury occurred during a game against the Minnesota Vikings, when Thomas took a hard hit from cornerback Akayleb Evans while attempting to catch a pass from Carr. The receiver had to stretch far outside his body’s frame to reach for the ball, which was thrown high. The awkward positioning and the force of the hit resulted in Thomas suffering a knee injury that prematurely ended his season.
The “bad ball” incident abruptly halted what could have been a promising season for Thomas. Before his injury, he had accumulated 439 receiving yards in the Saints’ first nine games. It put him on track for a respectable total of 829 receiving yards had he been able to continue playing.
Exploring Michael Thomas’s injury history
Michael Thomas, who was recently arrested for his aggressive behavior, has faced a series of setbacks since his record-setting 2019 season. Back in 2019, he shattered the single-season receptions record with an impressive 149 catches. However, injuries began to plague his career shortly thereafter, preventing him from maintaining his stellar performance on the field.
Persistent foot and ankle troubles have been the primary culprits behind Thomas’ decline in recent years. Between the 2020 and 2022 seasons, he was limited to just 10 combined appearances due to these nagging injuries. In September 2020, Thomas suffered a high ankle sprain that sidelined him for four games.
Despite making a comeback, he later injured his right ankle, forcing him to miss the last three games of the season. He needed surgeries to address these problems, leading to an extended recovery process that kept him out for the entire 2021 season.
Unfortunately, the 30-year-old’s injury troubles continued into the 2022 season. In September of that year, he dislocated his toe in a game against the Carolina Panthers, bringing his season to an early end. Before this injury, Thomas had already been facing difficulties, with career-low averages of 3.9 receptions and 44.8 yards per game.
Despite his efforts to overcome these challenges, he faced yet another setback at the end of the 2023 season and once again found himself sidelined due to injury.
