#Michael Thomas shades Saints with cryptic tweet after disappearance

Michael Thomas is back at it again with the cryptic tweets.

The Saints receiver and petty king appeared to throw shade at his team early Monday morning in a social media post, amid the saga surrounding his offseason ankle surgery.

“They tried to damage your reputation. You saved theirs by not telling your side of the story,” the mercurial wide receiver wrote.

Thomas made headlines in July when NFL Network reported he would be getting surgery on his ankle for a nagging injury that was suffered in 2020. NOLA.com reported over the weekend that Thomas ducked calls from the Saints and their medical staff for months in the offseason. These calls were apparently part of the reason for the delayed surgery, and it appears that is the story Thomas’ tweet was referencing.

The Saints have publicly vented their frustration over the situation.

“It’s disappointing,” Saints coach Sean Payton said recently after learning Thomas would have to miss time. “And we’ll work through it with the other players that are here. But the surgery took place, and obviously we would’ve liked that to happen earlier than later. And quite honestly, it should’ve.”

The former All-Pro had an abbreviated season in 2020, due to both injuries and a suspension after he punched teammate C.J. Gardner-Johnson during practice. He did not score a touchdown last year, after scoring nine in 2019 along with 1,725 yards.

It now looks like 2021 could follow a similar path, as he is currently without a timetable for his return. Whatever his side of the story may be, whichever quarterback wins the competition – Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill – will have a depleted wide receiver group to throw to.