Saints’ Alvin Kamara Defends Michael Thomas After Injury Criticism

The five-time Pro Bowler weighed in on negative comments surrounding the franchise’s star receiver.

As the Saints prepare for their Week 9 matchup against the Ravens on Monday Night Football, New Orleans will be without a familiar face in wide receiver Michael Thomas.

Saints coach Dennis Allen announced Thursday that the three-time Pro Bowler would miss the remainder of the season due to a dislocated second toe and will be placed on the injured reserve as he undergoes surgery.

Thomas, who missed the entire 2021 season and appeared in only seven games in ’20, was once the cornerstone wide receiver of the franchise. After being drafted by New Orleans in ’16 out of Ohio State, he emerged as top target for then Saints quarterback Drew Brees as well as rose among the elite receivers in ’19 in terms of production when he was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year.

While some have took to social media to criticize Thomas for his health and string of injuries in the last two seasons, Saints running back Alvin Kamara vouched for his teammate on Friday, telling reporters that Thomas is one of several players who is always “fighting to get back” on the field.

“It sucks to have a player of that caliber who works hard and passionate about the game and kind of got hit with some unluck things,” Kamara said. “I saw a couple comments within the media basically like ‘you can’t trust [Thomas] or he is not being honest about his injury, why he is waiting to now to be ruled out.’ Nobody knows what we go through in here… The masses just see Sunday. It’s a lot of s--- that we got to go through.”

In three games this season, Thomas has recorded 16 catches for 171 yards and three touchdowns. He hasn’t played since the Saints’ Week 3 loss to Carolina. Through his four seasons in the league, Thomas averaged 1,378 receiving yards per year.

While Kamara understands that Thomas will no longer be on the field with them this season, the five-time Pro Bowler wants people to recognize that Thomas is doing what he needs to be healthy for the longevity of his career.

“People be talking s----… it irks my soul to see that,” Kamara said. “Nobody’s in here like ‘yeah let me get injured and not play and just get paid.’ We get paid to play and obviously we want to be available but when you can’t do it, it’s certain things you got to be smart about. He’s not going to ruin the rest of his career right now.”

• Saints News Network: Saints to Place Michael Thomas on Injured Reserve

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