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And I’ve never been more disappointed in his actions. Flipping the bird to the sidelines. Seriously?! He is so ungrateful for the opportunity he was given. Holding out, constantly talking trash about the team, unacceptable. Such an awful way to end this!
https://www.fieldgulls.com/2018/9/30/17 ... e-seahawks

It was a bad moment for him, born I'm sure of extreme frustration, but I still have more sympathy for him than resentment toward him. This a multi-million dollar bummer for the dude ...

Earl rolled the dice and lost. His actions and his holdout put him right where he is. He could have waited until week 10, reported, half assed the rest of the season and walked. He could have reported to training camp in good faith, and maybe a long term extension would have been worked out. He decided to come back, say FU to the Hawks and play at a high level in order to boost his payday for next year and came up snake eyes. Earl wanted it all and sometimes you can’t have it all. Thanks for the memories Earl, it was a pleasure watching you perform in a Hawk uniform. Maybe you can go help sherm with the 9ers, lord know he need you back there to cover his a$$.

Um, if he reported, didn't say fu , does that change anything? He still gets a broken leg, and watches his "investment" drop.

Ultimately, that injury proves both sides of the coin imho, it validates why Thomas held out to secure his future, and it validates Seattle's decision not to give him an extension.

Odd that both sides ultimately are validated, but validated in both sides none the less.

HumanCockroach wrote:Um, if he reported, didn't say fu , does that change anything? He still gets a broken leg, and watches his "investment" drop.
.

In Popes scenario he would have gotten an extension if he comes to training camp on time- so he would have already been paid.

mykc14 wrote:In Popes scenario he would have gotten an extension if he comes to training camp on time- so he would have already been paid.

And all the yahoos in the stands making less in 10 years than he makes in a game would get to watch him rooting from the sidelines.

Sad day. One of the best players in all Seahawk history and what will our last image of him be? Flipping us off. Totally classless act.

RiverDog wrote:Sad day. One of the best players in all Seahawk history and what will our last image of him be? Flipping us off. Totally classless act.

Could not agree more. And I know it was the emotion of the moment, but it's a perfect encapsulation of the whole situation. He takes it personally that he entered into a field that's run like a business, then plays stupid.

And doesn't realize he's the poster boy for why teams should be *very* cautious about signing aging veterans, even HOF'ers, to cap-killing contracts as he's flipping them off on the way out for exercising that caution.

Honestly, I think it may have been more personal embarrassment realizing he proved them prophetic than anything else.

Pathetic, and what a sad way to end for a guy that I thought would end up in the ROH.

The worst part of all this is that ET's trade value is now essentially zip. The Hawks get nothing and ET gets nothing.

trents wrote:The worst part of all this is that ET's trade value is now essentially zip. The Hawks get nothing and ET gets nothing.

No trade value beats eating $10M/yr for 3 years.

Hindsight is good stuff, but they should have traded him before the season started and gotten someone who could help them in another area.

trents wrote:Hindsight is good stuff, but they should have traded him before the season started and gotten someone who could help them in another area.

Eh, maybe, but what are ya gonna do?

Nobody would give good value, he wouldn't budge, and ultimately cut off his nose to spite his face.

Fck him. Good riddance to bad trash.

What a giant and sad bummer! The same sh/++y field that took Cliff and Sherm now takes Earl. And under these circumstances. So sad. He has been one of my all time favorites and to see it end the way is tough. Sad for us & sad for him. What a bummer.

I'm with Sis- it's heartbreaking (in the 'fan letdown' sense- there are bigger problems in life).

Imagine if the Hawks had reluctantly given Earl a $20M/yr extension- you think Pete would be flipping Earl off as he's being carted off knowing the cap, and his ability to do his job effectively, was going to be hamstrung with a ton of dead money for the next half-a-decade?

Unbelievable, and I think he's about to learn how many fans root for the uniform, not the guy wearing it.

burrrton wrote:No trade value beats eating $10M/yr for 3 years.

You don't eat 10 million for 3 years if he's injured. You negotiate an injury settlement and he retires. Otherwise he was playing at a high level prior to the injury, well worth 10 million a year.

Stream Hawk wrote:And I’ve never been more disappointed in his actions. Flipping the bird to the sidelines. Seriously?! He is so ungrateful for the opportunity he was given. Holding out, constantly talking trash about the team, unacceptable. Such an awful way to end this!
https://www.fieldgulls.com/2018/9/30/17 ... e-seahawks

Its a two way street. They would not pay him while he held out, he comes back and they still wouldn't pay him. They would not trade him. Granted they wanted fair market value for him, no team is going to do that knowing that they can bid for him next year. Remember folks, He flipped off the bench, not us fans, it was a sad emotional reaction, we have all been there. Its the dark side of the business.

burrrton wrote:Eh, maybe, but what are ya gonna do?

Nobody would give good value, he wouldn't budge, and ultimately cut off his nose to spite his face.

Fck him. Good riddance to bad trash.

So this guy is trash now because of a few temperamental instances? Really? That's how you go about it. As far as you know he plays hard on the field, takes care of his family, and hasn't been known to engage in any off the field bad behavior, but a few angry outbursts and he's bad trash? Whatever. Total garbage attitude to tag someone like that for extremely minor angry outbursts.

Aseahawkfan wrote:You don't eat 10 million for 3 years if he's injured. You negotiate an injury settlement and he retires. Otherwise he was playing at a high level prior to the injury, well worth 10 million a year.

*sigh*

Can you adjust for any nuances of contracts or other situations under which he's not giving us the value we signed him for, for heaven's sake?

Remember folks, He flipped off the bench, not us fans, it was a sad emotional reaction, we have all been there. Its the dark side of the business.

I agree there was probably more emotion in there than he's getting credit for, but if you don't think he was flipping you off, too, you're not a fan.

Again, I'm a *Seahawk* fan, not an Earl fan, not a Russell fan, not a Sherman fan. I wish nothing ill on them, but the Seattle Seahawks is whose side I'm on, and if they decided he wasn't worth what he wanted, agree or disagree, you better not tell me or them to FO.

So this guy is trash now because of a few temperamental instances?

A few temperamental instances? No- I forgave Sherman. Multiple times.

Tell my team "Fck You", though, and we're in an entirely different realm, at least until and unless I hear an apology.

As far as you know he plays hard on the field, takes care of his family, and hasn't been known to engage in any off the field bad behavior, but a few angry outbursts and he's bad trash?

At me? Not just yes, but of course.

Can you adjust for any nuances of contracts or other situations under which he's not giving us the value we signed him for, for heaven's sake?

Its the system. Players need guaranteed contracts, but its football, they are not going to get them without a strike. We were gold for 4 years while we had a Franchise QB for 700,000 a year. The Rams are stacked till they have to pay Goff. If Paul Allen could just right a check for 10 million I think he would. That's what makes the Pats, they are the model of the salary cap era. Do they stack up against the great teams of the past? No. Fins, Steelers, and 9ers were way better. They never had a SB blowout like we did.

Obi, I'm just saying my point wasn't centered on any specifics of whether or not they were on the hook for entire salaries, etc, but just that the dead money that might come about with a huge signing that goes south could hurt the team.

burrrton wrote:Obi, I'm just saying my point wasn't centered on any specifics of whether or not they were on the hook for entire salaries, etc, but just that the dead money that might come about with a huge signing that goes south could hurt the team.

Ok, I can really see both sides of this one. Question for you or anyone: does He still get paid? IF they are injured and out for the year, do they still get their money.

obiken wrote:Its a two way street. They would not pay him while he held out, he comes back and they still wouldn't pay him. They would not trade him. Granted they wanted fair market value for him, no team is going to do that knowing that they can bid for him next year. Remember folks, He flipped off the bench, not us fans, it was a sad emotional reaction, we have all been there. Its the dark side of the business.

I'm not sure about you, but I've always considered myself as being part of the team and have always used possessive pronouns in my descriptions ("we" got beat or that's "our" home field), so when he flipped off the bench, he was essentially flipping me/us off, too.

I'm going to withhold my final analysis of Earl and let him clear the air once he's had a chance to reflect on his actions, but I do think he owes us an apology. There were a lot of young kids watching out there and it was a very poor example and not a sign of good sportsmanship.

Y'all are really being awful butthurt about a finger. It was a bad moment for him, so what? It sure doesn't erase all the good he's done for us. Not even close.

c_hawkbob wrote:Y'all are really being awful butthurt about a finger. It was a bad moment for him, so what? It sure doesn't erase all the good he's done for us. Not even close.

I'll use my divorce as an analogy. I personally don't like my ex wife anymore, she was unfaithful to me, cost me thousands by forcing our divorce to go to court. But early in our relationship, we did have some good times and she gave me one helluva great daughter that I am extremly proud of.

Perhaps not an exact duplication of how I feel about Earl at this moment, but close.

It sure doesn't erase all the good he's done for us. Not even close

Until I hear an apology, the h3ll it doesn't.

obiken wrote:
Remember folks, He flipped off the bench, not us fans, it was a sad emotional reaction, we have all been there. Its the dark side of the business.

I'm a fan of the Seahawks and he flipped off my team and thus, me. To me that is no different than Ramblo coming in here trashing my team.

Aseahawkfan wrote:You don't eat 10 million for 3 years if he's injured. You negotiate an injury settlement and he retires. Otherwise he was playing at a high level prior to the injury, well worth 10 million a year.

burrrton wrote:
*sigh*

Can you adjust for any nuances of contracts or other situations under which he's not giving us the value we signed him for, for heaven's sake?

Depends on how much of the contract would have been "Guaranteed." That would be the minimum injury settlement. So no, maybe not $10m/yr over three years but instead $30M against next year's cap if $30M was the guaranteed portion of the contract.

Is this the same leg he broke before?

trents wrote:Is this the same leg he broke before?

I’ve read unverified reports that it was the same leg as before and that he refused to have a rod inserted when the leg was repaired the first time.....

idhawkman wrote:I'm a fan of the Seahawks and he flipped off my team and thus, me. To me that is no different than Ramblo coming in here trashing my team.

Really? The same?!

What has Lambo ever done on the positive side of the ledger? Helping us to our only SB victory, back to back SB appearances and spearheading the greatest position group in the history of the team (and one that will go down as in the conversation for the greatest of any team, ever) doesn't elevate him at all above an internet troll?

Pretty harsh man.

idhawkman wrote:I'm a fan of the Seahawks and he flipped off my team and thus, me. To me that is no different than Ramblo coming in here trashing my team.

c_hawkbob wrote:Really? The same?!

What has Lambo ever done on the positive side of the ledger? Helping us to our only SB victory, back to back SB appearances and spearheading the greatest position group in the history of the team (and one that will go down as in the conversation for the greatest of any team, ever) doesn't elevate him at all above an internet troll?

Pretty harsh man.

Maybe I'm ticked right now about the whole situation Bob and it will ebb in a few weeks or months. I'm a little concerned about how much bad apple he's sown in the current team, too. His hold out, his attitude, his juvenile antics has left a really bad taste in my mouth about ET. That may ebb as I mentioned but part of that is going to depend on him, his comments and attitude toward the Seahawks in the coming months/years.

Emotion is a big part of what makes ET the player he is, so it's not surprising of his reaction.
Remember the last injury and he tweeted about retirement? That's what happened then and it's just part of his emotional makeup.
It's similar with other players, too before they wind down after a game. Some, like Sherman and his rant about Crabtree was still
in game mode when interviewed, and now we see ET seeing his hopes dashed reacting.

This isn't a career ending injury in all probability, but it will mean he won't get the same $ he might otherwise have.
I would expect him to have a great year next year for the team that signs him.

burrrton wrote:It sure doesn't erase all the good he's done for us. Not even close

Until I hear an apology, the h3ll it doesn't.

The question of whether or not Earl's actions erases all the good that has existed between a player and their team/fans over the course of the past 8 years needs to be posed to Earl as well as us fans. Is this how he wants to be remembered, being carted off the field and flipping off his team?

When I retired, I left behind several people that I did not care for and that did not care for me. Nevertheless, we shook hands and wished each other well. I expect something similar from Earl. Admiration and respect is a two way street.

Give him time to get some distance from the situation.
Geez, you guys really take things too personally.

NorthHawk wrote:Give him time to get some distance from the situation.
Geez, you guys really take things too personally.

C'mon North, you have to be fair. Its not fair to single "us guys" out and not the other guy.

I don’t take this personally as a fan of the team. Earls anger is directed at management, the fans or his teammates have nothing to do with it. Earl wants to be rewarded for his contributions to the organization. He was when he was the highest paid safety in the league. Hell, Donald was the highest paid at his position for 1 day. Earl was expecting a market for his services that wasn’t realistic. If he was 25, injury free and going into his 2nd contract, then I could see his point. Obviously no other team thought his services were worth breaking the bank, or somebody would have. The market is what it is. Hopefully he took care of the 50mil+ he’s already earned and he won’t have to worry about his financial future. If he didn’t that’s on him. Not the Hawks or anybody else’s responsibility to see that earl lives like a king until the day he dies. That’s all on earl. As I said previously, Earl rolled the dice and came up snake eyes. Don’t like to see it end this way since Earl is one of my favorites from a performance standpoint. Will miss him roaming the back of the secondary, but life goes on and so shall the Seahawks.

Pope out

The POPE wrote:I don’t take this personally as a fan of the team. Earls anger is directed at management, the fans or his teammates have nothing to do with it. Earl wants to be rewarded for his contributions to the organization. He was when he was the highest paid safety in the league. Hell, Donald was the highest paid at his position for 1 day. Earl was expecting a market for his services that wasn’t realistic. If he was 25, injury free and going into his 2nd contract, then I could see his point. Obviously no other team thought his services were worth breaking the bank, or somebody would have. The market is what it is. Hopefully he took care of the 50mil+ he’s already earned and he won’t have to worry about his financial future. If he didn’t that’s on him. Not the Hawks or anybody else’s responsibility to see that earl lives like a king until the day he dies. That’s all on earl. As I said previously, Earl rolled the dice and came up snake eyes. Don’t like to see it end this way since Earl is one of my favorites from a performance standpoint. Will miss him roaming the back of the secondary, but life goes on and so shall the Seahawks.

Pope out

We don't know exactly who he was flipping off. He directed it at the team bench, so perhaps is was at Coach Carroll. Maybe it was directed at the team trainer, or maybe a teammate said something. I consider us all to be one big Seahawk family, and if he was flipping off Pete, I'd take offense to it as well.

Additionally, you're making an assumption as to his reasons. Perhaps it was just a simple fit of anger at being hurt.

Which is why Earl needs to come out and either apologize or clarify what he meant or what was going through his mind. I'm perfectly content to wait for Earl to speak to his actions before I pass judgment.

I'm perfectly content to wait for Earl to speak to his actions before I pass judgment.

I'm fine passing judgment, but I reserve the right to reverse myself pending an explanation or apology.