He CHOSE to act like an idiot. He was my favorite player before he just stopped being a team guy.
For some time Earl Thomas was my favorite NFL player.
Man, I loved watching that guy play. I never get tired of watching the video in which he hits Gronkowski, then the huge guy stays down, looking for the pieces of his soul that were knocked loose while the little guy pops right up and struts away. I also never get tired of watching Earl make the most amazing play in NFL history
twice. In both cases, a Rams RB is close to the Seahawks' end zone, reaching out to help the ball cross the plane of the goal line, and ETIII chops the RB's arm, knocking the ball loose before it can cross the plane. In both cases, the ball goes into and then out of the end zone, and it's a touchback, Seahawks ball at the 20 and the Rams get
nothing. I have to admit I also enjoy watching him destroy Eddie Lacy. ETIII highlight videos are just fun to watch.
And ETIII was such a big part of what made the 2012-2015 Seahawks teams so good. First, opposing QBs pretty much had to give up the deep middle. Also, the CBs could apply aggressively tight coverage, knowing that if something bad happened, ETIII would be there to save the day, and Earl's ridiculous range gave Chancellor the freedom to play his unusual role. ETIII made the rest of the defense, especially the rest of the secondary, better.
All that said, it was time for him to go when he went, and as others have noted, he's been out of the game for a couple of years now, plus he's 33, so I'm not expecting him to be the star he once was if he gets a chance to play in the NFL again. However, he could still probably help some teams, and if he's willing to take a relatively low salary with very little guaranteed, somebody might just give him a chance. Honestly, at this point, unless he's burned through all the money he made previously and needs desperately to make more, I consider it more likely that he'd see such an offer as insulting and end up not playing.