An arrest warrant for Earl Thomas has been issued in Austin, Texas, after police say the former Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens safety violated a court protective order by sending threatening messages to a woman about her and her children, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Court records show the warrant, signed April 27, charges Thomas with a third-degree felony for at least two violations within 12 months of a protective order from May 2021 that stated he could only communicate with the woman through a co-parenting phone app, according to the paper.
Trey Dolezal, who represents Thomas in his ongoing divorce, told the paper that the arrest warrant stems from Thomas reaching out to the woman to see their children. Nina Thomas filed for divorce from Earl Thomas in November 2020.
"They were consciously and collectively working together to see his kids," Dolezal told the paper. "I don't really understand how he could be in violation by working together to visit with his children."
But according to the paper, the woman told police that Thomas recently began threatening her and her children via text, including one message on April 18 informing her that he had just obtained two handguns, and another later that day in which he told her he will "kick [her] ass."
The Austin American-Statesman also cited separate court records indicating that Thomas was arrested in February 2021 on a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully carrying a weapon. Thomas agreed to forfeit the weapon, according to the paper, and the case was dismissed a year later.
Thomas, who turns 33 on Saturday, told ESPN's Adam Schefter on April 22 that he wants to resume his NFL career. The seven-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time First Team All-Pro has not played in a game since the 2019 season, the year he signed a four-year, $55 million contract with the Ravens in free agency. Baltimore released him in August 2020 after an altercation in which Thomas punched teammate Chuck Clark during a training camp practice.
In April 2020, Nina Thomas was arrested in Austin after pointing a loaded handgun at Earl Thomas during a heated argument. She was charged with first-degree felony burglary of a residence with intent to commit aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after telling police she confronted her husband because she believed he was cheating on her.