Chris Olave Carted Off After High Pass

During the Saints' Week 9 game on November 3, 2024, wide receiver Chris Olave attempted to catch a high pass from quarterback Derek Carr and was hit in the process; Olave was carted off on a backboard and placed into concussion protocol after the play, which drew an unnecessary‑roughness penalty on Carolina's Xavier Woods, according to game reports [1][4]. The injury occurred in the context of a New Orleans game that produced national attention because the receiver required a backboard removal. Immediate reactions included medical attention on the sideline, team updates that Olave was being evaluated, and prompt social‑media commentary. Former Saints receiver Michael Thomas reacted on X within hours, criticizing Carr's throw placement and blaming Carr for exposing receivers to dangerous plays—posts that were captured via screengrab and republished by reporters, escalating the incident into a public dispute between Thomas and Carr [1][2][8].

Olave's concussion on Nov. 3, 2024 is the proximate cause of the public escalation between Michael Thomas and Derek Carr: the medical severity of a carted‑off concussion made Thomas's safety‑focused critique more salient and urgent in public conversation. The play allowed Thomas to connect a contemporaneous injury to his broader argument about ball placement, transforming a single on‑field injury into the catalyst for a widely reported public exchange between a former teammate and the Saints quarterback [1][2].

After Olave was carted off, reporters relayed team updates and captured Michael Thomas's social‑media reaction; Thomas's posts were screengrabbed by Tom Pelissero and reproduced by Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports, which helped transform the on‑field injury into a public narrative about quarterback accuracy and player safety [8][2][3]. Derek Carr addressed the situation and the ensuing social‑media commentary in the Saints' postgame news conference the same day, expressing concern for Olave and responding to Thomas's posts on the record [1]. Olave entered concussion protocol and team medical updates followed in the days after the play [1][4].