Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin says Thursday NFL games should be 'illegal'

The Seattle Seahawks left Arizona Thursday night with a lengthy list of injuries as over 10 players had to leave the game against the Cardinals at one point or another.

And while players weren't fond of Thursday Night Football games before their win in the desert, wide receiver Doug Baldwin was especially critical of the endeavor in the game's aftermath. Baldwin believes the Thursday games should be banned.

"This s--- should be illegal," Baldwin said. "It is not OK. It's not OK. You can quote me on that.

"This is not OK. ... Absolutely, guys do not have enough time to recover. You can't recover in four days."

Baldwin was one of at least 15 players hurt or injured in the game between the two teams. He had a hip issue flare up on him in pregame warmups. A dozen Seahawks in total eventually had injuries in some fashion coming out of the game. Cornerback Richard Sherman (Achilles), defensive tackle Jarran Reed (hamstring), tackle Duane Brown (ankle), running back C.J. Prosise (ankle), linebacker Michael Wilhoite (calf) and defensive end Frank Clark (thigh) were all knocked out of the game and did not return. Safety Kam Chancellor (stinger), cornerback Shaquill Griffin (shoulder), quarterback Russell Wilson (jaw/concussion check), defensive tackle Nazair Jones and Baldwin all dealt with issues during the game.

Additionally, the Cardinals lost three players for the season. Tackle D.J. Humphries (knee), safety Tyvon Branch (knee) and tight end Ifeanyi Momah (ankle) all suffered serious injuries and did not return.

"It's Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C, Exhibit D, Exhibit Z. Thursday night football should be illegal," Baldwin said.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was measured with his comments as he didn't want to be fined by the league for criticism, but it was clear he believes the players are taking on a significant challenge playing on a short week.

"It's amazing," Carroll said. "I hope that you guys recognize how challenging this is for the NFL players. It's so challenging physically and they have to go through so much and they risk so much. For them to fight and claw and scratch like that ... I'm talking about both teams and every team that plays this game, not just about tonight. I just hope you guys will understand how admirable it is because they love the game, and of course they're getting paid and all, but they go through a tremendous amount. It tears your heart when it gets taken away because of injuries and all. It's unfortunate."