The Baltimore Ravens and Earl Thomas are headed for a nasty fight.
The Ravens pulled the trigger Sunday on releasing Thomas after an altercation with a teammate during practice, and now they have $10 million worth of reasons to try to make it justified for cause. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
According to Ian Rapoport, the Ravens have every intention of not paying Thomas his $10 million in guaranteed money for the 2020 season, and you can bet the NFLPA will fight that until the bitter end.
On BAL attempting to void Earl Thomas’ $10M guaranteed: His contract has specific, player-friendly language explaining that $$ can be voided upon suspension (not fines). Thomas was not suspended prior to release. All this will play out in a grievance, but Thomas’ contract helps. https://t.co/zWV3arcJQD
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 23, 2020
Outside of the fact that Thomas is almost certainly about to just go sign with the Dallas Cowboys, this fight is going to get nasty.
If it was a little bit of money, the Ravens might just move on and not care. However, that’s not the case at all.
From Inside Training Camp Live: The #Ravens released S Earl Thomas and will now come after his money. Meanwhile, the #Cowboys have been waiting and now will pursue the Pro Bowler. pic.twitter.com/YQMYWVP7uz
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 23, 2020
It’s $10 million, and the Ravens don’t want to pay it. The question is whether or not a fight with a teammate is good enough to void a contract.
The Ravens believe it is. The NFLPA will argue it’s absolutely not.
The #Ravens officially say the release is for personal conduct that has adversely affected the Baltimore Ravens. That means they will come after his $10M in salary for 2020. https://t.co/MKYBZmKecY
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 23, 2020
There’s nothing like a great contract dispute to get the blood pumping! With $10 million on the line, you can guarantee that neither side will want to give an inch.
I can’t wait to see how it shakes out.
We have terminated S Earl Thomas’ contract for personal conduct that has adversely affected the Baltimore Ravens.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 23, 2020