
<p>Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas, who is still recovering from offseason ankle surgery, liked a pair of tweets criticizing the franchise on Monday. This comes days after a report from <a href="https://www.nola.com/sports/article_3a4eb1ec-f785-11eb-85ea-1fb31b4bf87c.html">NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan</a> claimed that Thomas had cut off all communication with the team for several months after the 2020 season. Since then, news on the fractured relationship between Thomas and the Saints has continued to break.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<span class="lHDr8s"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Michael Thomas recent likes: Regardless of how this is playing out, the fact that the 2019 Offensive Player of the Year got hurt in a freak accident at the end of the 2020 season opener shows how this game can chew you up and spit you out quickly. <a href="https://t.co/j1TKsH7iE7">pic.twitter.com/j1TKsH7iE7</a></p>— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kat_Terrell/status/1424892688709693443?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></span>
</div></figure>



<p>The first tweet liked by Thomas came from ESPN reporter Jordan Schultz, who suggested the Saints should have been more careful with their investment in 2020. Thomas, who signed a five-year deal worth $96.25 million the previous year, was injured at the end of week one during a meaningless drive.</p>



<p>Later, the star wide receiver liked a fan’s reply to a Pro Football Focus post referencing his cryptic post from earlier in the day. The fan speculates that the Saints likely urged Thomas not to get surgery last season in order to give star quarterback Drew Brees the best chance of winning before retirement.</p>



<p>“Now they blame him for not being healthy,” the fan concludes.</p>



<p>While his social media likes do not confirm the speculation, it will throw fuel on the growing fire.</p>



<h2>Earlier comments</h2>



<p>Following the 2020 season, New Orleans officials advised Thomas to have ankle surgery as quickly as possible. Thomas believed that he could heal his ankle in time; so he did not opt for surgery.</p>



<p>After months of silence from Thomas, he finally underwent surgery to fix the ankle injury in June.</p>



<p>“It appears we’re going to have to spend some time without him,” Payton said. “We would have liked that to have happened earlier. Quite honestly, it should have.”</p>



<p>Thomas fired back on social media with a jab most assume is directed toward the Saints.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<span class="rAtCpKb1hozD0q34Vg"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/frSOCaKHSs">pic.twitter.com/frSOCaKHSs</a></p>— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cantguardmike/status/1424679884144664581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></span>
</div></figure>



<p>“They tried to damage your reputation,” <a href="https://www.on3.com/news/dolphins-tua-tagovailoa-very-comfortable-entering-second-season/">Thomas tweeted.</a> “You saved theirs by not telling your side of the story.”</p>



<h2 id="h-history">History</h2>



<p>Thomas has totaled at least 1,137 yards receiving in each of the four full seasons he has played in the NFL. In his career, he has 510 receptions for 5,950 yards and 32 touchdowns. He is a big part of the Saints offense, as he was targeted 185 times in 2019 and has 658 targets on his career.</p>



<p>At Ohio State, Thomas caught 113 passes for 1,602 yards and 18 touchdowns. The former Buckeye only played a serious role in his final two collegiate seasons.</p>



<p><em>Image courtesy of Sean Gardner/Getty Images</em></p>


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