When Earl Thomas went down with a broken leg last week during the Seattle Seahawks' game against the Arizona Cardinals, it was more than a simple season-ending injury. It was an injury that made all the contract disputes between Thomas and the Seahawks come to the forefront. Thomas also made it clear that he remembered the way he was treated by the franchise.

On his way off the field, Thomas flipped off his own sideline from the cart. That was a sign that showed exactly how he felt about the franchise.

According to a report from ESPN, Thomas' gesture was directed at the entire organization. From the front office to the coaching staff, Thomas was making his true feelings clear.

Earl Thomas' obscene gesture toward the Seattle Seahawks' sideline last Sunday was not directed at coach Pete Carroll or any one person, but at the organization as a whole, a league source told ESPN.

Following the incident, Pete Carroll was asked about the gesture and he said that critics should back off of Thomas and understand how rough the injury was for the safety.

“People that are criticizing whatever happened don't understand. This was an earth-shattering moment for a kid. He's trying to play this game he loves, and all of sudden this happens again. He knew exactly what happened to him, so he went right to what it's going to take to get back.”

Thomas spent the entire offseason trying to find a trade out of Seattle. He specifically requested a new contract or a trade. Seattle obviously decided not to grant him either of those two things.

Many players in Thomas' situation would have held out of their contracts. Thomas decided to go ahead and honor his contract. Unfortunately, that decision ended badly and now Thomas will have a rough time through rehab and then in contract negotiations in free agency.

In the four games that he was able to play for Seattle, Thomas had racked up 22 tackles, three interceptions, and five defended passes.

Expect to see this situation impact how other players handle their contract situations. This is a worst-case scenario and Thomas will be the first one to tell you how bad things can get.