The morning after Seahawks safety Earl Thomas appeared to shoot the Seahawks’ sideline an obscene one-fingered salute as he was carted off the field in Arizona with a broken leg, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was no longer bothering to try to convince anyone that Thomas’ gesture might have meant anything other than what everyone thought.
Monday, on Carroll’s weekly day-after-game radio show on ESPN 710 Seattle, the coach said he thinks anyone criticizing Thomas should “give him a little slack,’’ while understanding Thomas’ frustration in the moment.
In post-game interviews on Sunday, Carroll’s reaction to Thomas’ gesture was initially try to deflect the issue: “It’s a big stadium,’’ Carroll said when asked who Thomas might have meant the finger for.