Saints receiver Michael Thomas arrested on battery chargers – Hickory Daily Record

KENNER, La. — New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas is facing simple battery and criminal mischief charges following a confrontation with a construction worker, police said Saturday.

Thomas, 30, was arrested without incident Friday night, was cooperative with investigators and was released later that night, Kenner police Lt. Mark McCormick said.

Thomas, a two-time All-Pro in 2018 and 2019, is expected to travel to Minnesota and be in the lineup when the Saints play the Vikings on Sunday, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Saturday because the team has not publicly discussed Thomas’ status for the game.

A statement released by the Saints said the team is “aware of the incident and we are gathering information.”

It was not immediately clear if Thomas has retained an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

Police say the incident occurred in front of a home under construction near Thomas’ home.

The construction worked told police that Thomas began yelling at him about parking in front of his home and “verbally threatened to harm him.”

Thomas then picked up a brick and threw it at the window of a truck, but caused “little if any” damage, the worker told police. Thomas then knocked the victim’s phone from his hand, shoved him and told him he did not want to be recorded, police said.

After playing in just 10 regular-season games the past three years because of various injuries, Thomas has appeared in all nine of New Orleans’ games this season. His 38 catches for 439 yards are third most on the club. He also has one touchdown catch.

In 2019, Thomas set an NFL record for catches in a season with 149.

When New England takes on Indianapolis in Germany on Sunday, it may feel like a home game for the Patriots.

The names Tom Brady and Bill Belichick certainly resonate with a growing number of NFL fans in Germany. However, Sebastian Vollmer is Patriots royalty here, too. The Patriots are competing with the Kansas City Chiefs to be the most popular team in Germany, thanks in part to Vollmer’s legacy.

The offensive tackle from Duesseldorf, became a figurehead in the 2010s for a growing German audience keen to see a German player succeed in the NFL. The Patriots were the obvious choice for new fans looking for a team to support.

Vollmer spent all of his eight-year NFL career with the Patriots, winning the Super Bowl after the 2014 season. He was still with the team, though injured, for another Super Bowl win two years later. His success came as free-to-air broadcasts of NFL games were starting to catch on in Germany.

“That’s when it really started to pick up, and then obviously we did it in 2016 again, and that really helped,” Vollmer told The Associated Press. “And then the whole thing has just really exploded.”

The NFL had German players for decades earlier — all the way back to the arrival of soccer-style kickers in the 1960s and 70s — but now their home audience can better follow their careers.

In retirement, Vollmer is a regular on Germany’s booming NFL broadcasts and a Patriots ambassador. “Football has changed my life, the Patriots have changed my life,” he said. “I’m just telling my truth, the way that I think about football, the way that I think about the club, and if people like it, great. If they don’t, at least they’ve been exposed to it.”

BRONCOS: Denver will face former captain and Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller for the first time Monday night when they play the Buffalo Bills. Justin Simmons said Miller is a 1-of-1 type of superstar. But he compared one play by Broncos outside linebacker Baron Browning to Miller. Browning strip-sacked Patrick Mahomes in the Broncos’ win over the Chiefs last month and displayed the type of bend and technique that Miller used to flash during his decade in Denver. Browning, who missed the first two months of the season following knee surgery, said there’s much more to come.

BILLS: Buffalo’s injury-depleted defense will be without two more starters after safety Micah Hyde and cornerback Christian Benford were ruled out from playing against the Denver Broncos on Monday night. Neither practiced this week after getting hurt in a 24-18 loss at Cincinnati last weekend. Hyde sustained a neck/stinger injury and Benford hurt his hamstring. Starting linebacker Terrel Bernard, meanwhile, is listed as questionable after opening the week in the concussion protocol.