Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas earned a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct last Sunday when he hugged an official following a touchdown. It was a moment of pure glee for Thomas that prompted the man-hug session, as he had intercepted a Drew Brees pass and returned it 34 yards for the score.
While he did land the penalty, Thomas reportedly avoided a fine for his impromptu celebration, per Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com.
Head coach Pete Carroll had some thoughts on the whole thing. Not surprisingly, he hopes it was the last time he sees Thomas hugging it out with an NFL ref during a game.
“It was a pretty interesting moment,” coach Pete Carroll said this week. “We’re not going to do that again. … Earl got the chance to celebrate with an official for one time in his career.”
The craziest part about the entire incident is that Thomas didn’t even realize he had been penalized for his celebration until after the game when he was in the locker room.
He called it “an exciting moment” and said, “That’s just i celebrated,” per Kapadia.
Unfortunately his big play didn’t help lead Seattle to victory against the New Orleans Saints, who edged out the NFC West superpower by five points at home. Seattle is now 4-2-1 after tying the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7 and then losing in Week 8.