Saints' Michael Thomas threatens reporter in Twitter exchange

Posted by Reinaldo Massengill on Wednesday, May 8, 2024

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A Twitter feud escalated this weekend when Michael Thomas threatened to punch a reporter in the mouth.

“Watch your mouth before I have to pop you in it before you even make it to the locker room. Goodnight 😴,” Thomas said in a since-deleted tweet during a back-and-forth with the reporter.

The exchange began when the Saints receiver took to social media to throw shade at the Vikings, who had eliminated the Saints in the week prior.

“😂😂 that’s what y’all get,” Thomas tweeted during the Vikings’ 27-10 loss to the 49ers on Saturday. “Y’all talked all that 💩 I don’t think anyone got more than 1 catch. I had 7 with a broken hand I don’t want to hear it 😂.”

Thomas caught seven passes for 70 yards in the Saints’ 26-20 wild-card round loss to Minnesota on Jan. 5. While the Vikings’ offense was mostly inept, Thomas’ stats about the receivers were inaccurate. Adam Thielen reeled in five catches for 50 yards and Stefon Diggs caught two passes for 57 yards and a touchdown against San Francisco.

Reporter Andrew Doak, who covers the Saints for New Orleans’ WWL-TV, took note and called him out for the unprovoked trash talk:

“If your team was eliminated from the playoffs, it’s usually not the best idea to talk smack all day on Twitter to the team that sent you to your couch for the rest of the season,” wrote Doak.

“Same couch I sat on every week after leading the league in every category week in and week out while you searched for a story goofy,” replied Thomas, who finished the season with the most receiving yards, targets and receptions in the NFL. Doak attempted to deescalate the situation by lauding the receiver’s stats and urging good sportsmanship.

“Don’t be a bad sport. Be respectable, move on, get ’em next season. Your stats speak for themselves. We know you’re a baller. But you lost, fair and square after a great season. Deal with it in a better way. Be well, Mike,” Doak wrote.

Thomas clearly wasn’t interested in the metaphorical olive branch.

“Nope this is my platform you follow me and watch me. Know your place like I said you don’t know me. And you ain’t never played this sport so keep your advice for your intramural team,” he replied.

“And you don’t know me either. I’m done with the Twitter fingers. If you ever want to talk in person in the locker room, I’ll see you there. Goodnight,” Doak responded before Thomas elected to escalate the situation with physical threats.

“I meant to speak man-to-man, as a professional, Mike,” Doak replied to Thomas’ “pop” tweet.

Thomas did not respond.

The 26-year-old receiver from Ohio State was selected by the Saints in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. In July, he inked a five-year, $100 million contract extension, which included a $20 million signing bonus and $60.6 million guaranteed. The record-breaking deal made Thomas the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history and the first non-quarterback offensive player to sign a $100 million contract.

He proved worth it this season, pulling in an NFL-record 149 catches for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns.

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