Sorry, this theory doesn’t make sense, and we already have a thread devoted to the topic.
The Seahawks would not be considering a fine for Earl not practicing if they were the ones holding him out. Carroll also indicated that not practicing was Earl’s choice, noting it wasn’t a “personal” issue.
I’m not sure why people are so confused about this. Earl said he was going to protect himself during his contract year. He is entering a huge game against his hometown team and likely wanted to protect himself from a practice injury. There may be other personal issues he is dealing with: some have noted that his wife is expecting. Earl also insinuating on social media that he would be playing today. He participated in yesterday’s walk-through practice. And Carroll said yesterday that Earl would play today. Just to further discredit this theory, there is a report this morning that Dallas and Seattle have not participated in trade talks since the season started and that a trade was unlikely.