Former All-Pro WR suspended by NFL for off-field incident

Aug 9, 2019; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) on the bench in the second half against the Minnesota Vikings at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

A former All-Pro wide receiver was handed a one-game suspension by the NFL on Friday over an off-field incident that took place last year.

The league quietly announced that free agent wide receiver Michael Thomas is suspended for Week 1 for a violation of NFL rules. The violation is related to an incident from last November in which Thomas allegedly threw a brick at a construction worker’s windshield during an altercation.

According to the NFL wire, #Saints FA WR Michael Thomas is suspended week 1 for a violation of NFL rules.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 30, 2024

The former New Orleans Saints superstar is currently without a team, so the impact of this is limited. Lingering ankle and leg issues have plagued him for roughly four seasons now, and the former Offensive Player of the Year looked a shell of himself in the last few campaigns with the Saints. The fact that he remains unsigned despite still being just 31 indicates that there are clearly concerns among teams about his health, durability, and capability to produce.

Thomas got some links to teams during the offseason, but nothing came of any of them. A suspension, however brief, is not going to help matters.