The New Orleans Saints have reportedly benched Michael Thomas for punching a teammate.
According to Tom Pelissero, Thomas won’t suit up Monday night against the Chargers because he punched Chauncey Gardner-Johnson during practice. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
The #Saints say WR Michael Thomas has been ruled out for Monday night for team disciplinary reasons. https://t.co/RbjQEogVSs
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 11, 2020
#Saints star WR Michael Thomas punched teammate Chauncey Gardner-Johnson during a fight in practice, per sources. That’s why Thomas was ruled out for Monday’s game against the #Chargers for what the club is calling team discipline.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 11, 2020
It goes without saying that punching someone, especially your own teammate, is never a great thing in the world of sports.
You shouldn’t need to be told that as a millionaire athlete and as one of the best receivers in all of football.
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Having said that, tensions often flare in practice all the time. We’re talking about an environment loaded with a ton of testosterone and huge egos.
As someone who grew up in the world of sports and has seen it up close at the highest levels, I can tell you from firsthand experience that I’ve seen some brutal stuff in practice.
However, I’ve never seen a player get benched for throwing a punch. Kicked out of practice? Sure. Benched? No.
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Thomas is one of the best players in the league, and he won’t be playing Monday night. I hope the Saints are okay with Drew Brees having one less weapon to utilize because this decision could quickly backfire.