Duane Thomas was a great player in a tough spot. This was before free agency existed in any form. Duane was clearly one of the best running backs in the game but was earning peanuts on his rookie deal. Because there was no free agency, there was no “renegotiate” pressure on teams to pay more than the contract required. And, TV money had not yet skyrocketed, so teams had to pinch pennies. He was worth more money, but couldn’t get it. He knew it, the team knew it. So he sulked and became anti-social. He was the same in San Diego because the only thing that changed was the team, not his paycheck. He only had two choices: take what they would give him or quit. He eventually chose to quit.
Another point I would make is that press coverage was very different then. Reporters were so pro-team that they ignored players salaries and complaints about being the “property” of the team that drafted them. If a player did not toe the team line, he was painted as the problem. The team could do no wrong. As a consequence the average fan invariably blamed the player who took a stand and disrupted the team. (Duane’s silence did not disrupt the team. They won a superbowl during his “silence”.)
Did Duane handle it incorrectly? Yes, but he was young, angry, and ill-advised.
He was a great player, but if things had not played out the way they did, Tony Dorsett would not have been a Cowboy.
And for what it is worth, Duane did not fumble in the Superbowl against the Colts.
