There's no in-game social media usage allowed for active NFL players and coaches, so it wasn't until after the game that Saints head coach Dennis Allen was made aware of what the injured Michael Thomas had been tweeting throughout Week 13.
The posts continued a trend for the Saints WR since he's landed on IR, but took a turn during the loss to the Lions when he sent posts that appeared critical of starting quarterback Derek Carr. One such tweet pointed out that he had missed a wide-open A.T. Perry on a play that resulted in an interception, and another appeared to insinuate that certain throws this season had resulted in injuries.
"We’ll keep that in-house," Allen said when asked about the situation.
Thomas went back and forth with replies before ultimately deactivating his account at some point Sunday afternoon. The head coach said he was not aware of any edict for that to happen or the tweets to be deleted, and did not specify how it'd be dealt with going forward.
Thomas was active the first 10 games of the season, but went on injured reserve after taking a helmet to the knee as he attempted to haul in pass on the first offensive play against the Vikings in Week 10. He stayed in for one more play and caught a pass on a slant before leaving the field and going into the injury tent. He never went back to the locker room for treatment, but also didn't return to the game. Specifics of the knee injury have not yet been made public, but he was placed on IR coming out of the bye week.
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It's the latest twist in a strange few seasons for the star WR who has been unable to get through a season without an IR trip since the 2019 season when he set the current NFL record with 149 receptions. This season appeared to be on the right track, with 39 catches for 448 yards and a touchdown. The earliest he could potentially return is Week 16, though there's been no indication from the team on if or when a return might take place.
A falling-out with his starting quarterback would also be stark about-face for Thomas, who was a major part of the recruiting for Carr and posted "thank you Jesus" to that same social media channel when the QB signing was announced this past offseason. Earlier this season during a 34-0 win over the Patriots, the WR told reporters that he encourages his QB to throw him balls in traffic, even if they result in big hits.
“I love making those big-time catches over the middle. ... That’s why I tell Derek, I’m a big body, let me take some hits," he said at the time. "I’ll take some hits, I enjoy that.”
The Saints are currently on a three-game losing streak with a lot of questions to answer, with those including the health of Carr himself after suffering concussions in two of the past three games, the first coming in the second half of that same Vikings game during which MT got hurt.
The Saints are back in action Week 14 when they host the Carolina Panthers at the Caesars Superdome.