Michael Thomas out of Monday Night Football due to fight with teammate

New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas will be out against the Chargers due to a personal conduct issue

After a fight with a teammate in practice this week, the return of New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas to the field will be delayed by an additional week.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Thomas got into an altercation with defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson which resulted in a punch being thrown.

Thomas was already questionable heading into Monday Night with an ankle injury that has kept him out of competition for the past few weeks. Now, the team is benching him as a disciplinary move.

With Thomas out, the Saints will likely rely on RB Alvin Kamara and WR Emmanuel Sanders as primary targets as Drew Brees faces off once again against the team that drafted him back in 2001 along with Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson.

So far on the season, Thomas has three catches for 17 yards and zero touchdowns, all of which came during a Week 1 34-23 win over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Thomas has not played since then with an ankle injury.

This is a bad look for Thomas given how teams across the league have handled fighting

While Thomas does not have a consistent record of this type of behavior, he need not look farther than fellow wide receiver Antonio Brown and safety Earl Thomas, both of whom are out of the league for conduct detrimental to the team.

Sean Payton is one of the most no-nonsense approach type of coaches in the league and also has respect for his players, so it would be wise for Thomas to stay in line from now on, or risk being out of a job. But, history indicates that this may be a one-time incident, so he deserves the benefit of the doubt.