As their history would suggest, the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers have about as close a rivalry as one could possibly have. Every time these two NFC South teams step on the field together, it’s a nail biter all the way to the end with the level of physicality and hostility raised that much higher. Sometimes, all that energy carries over to after the game, as shown between Panthers DT Derrick Brown & Saints WR Michael Thomas.
The Saints went on the road to Charlotte to take on the Panthers on primetime, Monday Night Football, and came away with a 20-17 victory over a very game, and aggressive, Carolina defense. After the game, a war of words had begun between both Thomas and Brown. Jono Barnes, a longtime Saints fan, posted a video of the verbal exchange.
It starts with Thomas walking down the tunnel and turning around to yell back at Brown. You can hear Thomas yell “West side, crip Gang!” back at Brown as he walks down the ramp. Brown was then heard saying “Get yo b*tch a** on!” as Thomas then makes a left turn at the end of the ramp, presumably to enter the Saints’ designated locker room.
Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football came out with some context behind how the situation began:
“So here’s the backstory on Mike Thomas and that video, according to multiple people. He was going to a checkup room and you have to go through that tunnel to get there (relax. Nothing to worry about). That’s it. He was where he was supposed to be.”
Brown continued to follow Thomas until he was at the entrance of the presumed Saints locker room. He looked like he was about to throw a punch, and a physical altercation was about to break out, had it not been for the Panthers staff restraining him. The staff soon managed to pull Brown away and escort him back to his team’s locker room.
Thomas was a big contributor in the Saints’ win Monday night. His seven catches led the team, and were instrumental in moving the chains & maintaining Time of Possession (T.O.P). Saints improved to 2-0. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen this version of Michael Thomas in the NFL. He still has to prove he can stay healthy for a whole season, but a step in the right direction to be sure.
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