Rodney Thomas, the father of Indianapolis Colts’ second-year safety Rodney Thomas II, has been arrested for killing a bald eagle.
Per Rich Calder of the New York Post, records show that the elder Thomas was arrested for allegedly killing a bald eagle in a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The 50-year-old was indicted over a violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, per Calder:
“Thomas surrendered himself to authorities shortly after allegedly blasting the bird to death May 12 with an air rifle in Mount Pleasant, PA, but authorities waited more than two months before releasing his name or charges. Mount Pleasant residents were outraged by the foot-dragging.
The doomed eagle was one of two that nested for nearly two decades in the area.”
Once considered an endangered species, the population of the bald eagle in the United States has actually quadrupled since 2009, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service reported in early 2021 (via Derrick Bryson Taylor of the New York Times).
Via Calder, the elder Thomas can receive “up to” fines worth $5,000 and one year in prison. The football team and the younger Thomas turned down a request for comment, per Calder.
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A graduate of Yale, Thomas II was drafted in the seventh round (239th overall) by the Colts in 2022. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native appeared in all 17 games (he was a starter for 10 of them) and finished with four interceptions, six pass defenses and 52 combined tackles.
The younger Thomas was one of the few positives on a Colts’ team that went from nine wins in 2021 to just four in 2022. The Colts will open their 2023 season with a home tilt against the defending AFC South Champion Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 10.
