Peyton Hillis follows the blocking of Joe Thomas during Browns training camp in 2011.

(Photo by Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer)

BEREA, Ohio -- Joe Thomas, the Browns' five-time Pro Bowl tackle and team captain, blasted former teammate Peyton Hillis Wednesday for crippling the 2011 offense over his contract dispute, for refusing to play sick and for creating a distraction.

"I think it was better for both sides [that he left]," Thomas said of Hillis, returning Sunday as a running back with the Chiefs. "At that point, the situation with him here was toxic. He didn't want to be here and players didn't want him here and it's better just for a fresh start at that point."

The Hillis saga of 2011 began when he left on the day of a home game against Miami in Week 3 with strep throat and the flu. His then-agent, Kennard McGuire, said he advised Hillis not to play.

"You guys tell me -- you think strep throat and I don't know whatever else injuries he had [a pulled hamstring] should keep you out of an NFL game? Or several?" Thomas said. "All I know is [center] Alex Mack had appendicitis. His appendix blew up, and he played."

Thomas, who was part of a group of team leaders that staged a midseason intervention with Hillis, said the back drastically changed in his contract year.

"He decided that his contract was more important than coming out and playing and helping his team win, and it left us without a running back," Thomas said. "To have Peyton going through a contract dispute and basically refusing to play, it was a big distraction. And then we had a few injuries that hurt us further with Montario [Hardesty] being down and Brandon Jackson, losing him in training camp.

"[Hillis] decided to go about trying to get a new contract a certain way and ended up hurting the other 52 guys in the locker room. That was his decision."

Thomas said teammates tried to talk to Hillis, to no avail. Hillis, who with the rest of the Chiefs is grieving the murder-suicide of teammate Jovan Belcher, declined an interview request this week.

"People who thought they were very close friends with him ... he wouldn't listen to anybody," Thomas said. "He thought he knew what was the right way to do it and it ended up hurting everybody, not just himself. It was a tough situation."

Thomas said it was "one weird thing after another" with Hillis, including his midweek wedding and launching the ball through goalposts from midfield in San Francisco when he was inactive with a pulled hamstring.

"When you're 'injured' and you should be getting treatment, to go do your own thing repeatedly was just disrespectful more than anything to his teammates," Thomas said.

Former Browns right tackle Tony Pashos, after reading Thomas' remarks, tweeted, "U can tell it was hell when Joe speaks out about it. He just gave u guys the tip (of the iceberg)." Pashos also tweeted, "Now just imagine Colt (McCoy) having to deal with that and all the other trash going on."

In training camp, Thomas told reporters that if the team had to choose up sides, no one would pick Hillis. "He wasn't real popular around here, the way he went about his business. Not that they didn't like him as a person, just the way he hurt the team from not coming to play," said Thomas. "That's the No.1 thing."

He said Hillis' behavior was out of character after a stellar 2010, in which he rushed for 1,177 yards and 11 TDs.

"He was everything people knew about him -- hard-working, blue-collar, tough, would do anything for anybody on the team," Thomas said. "All he cared about was winning, and then all of a sudden the next year all he cared about was trying to get his new contract."

Did it have anything to do with him being on the Madden video game cover?

"Maybe," said Thomas. "I think he was just getting some poor guidance on how to go about his business. I don't begrudge a guy for trying to get his contract. This is a business for us just like it's a business for the owners. I just think there's a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it, and the way he chose really hurt the team."

Thomas said rookie Trent Richardson stands in stark contrast.

"You can't say enough about things that Trent does for this team and how humble he is, coming off of an incredibly successful career at Alabama, being the No. 3 pick, having a very successful rookie season," Thomas said. "He's just a great person and a great teammate.

"Obviously he was nicked up earlier in the season and he still goes out there and runs people over on Sunday. And I think you can appreciate that."

In Kansas City, Hillis delivered a poignant pre-game speech about pulling together in the aftermath of Belcher's death.

"It was a powerful moment," quarterback Brady Quinn told NFL.com's Jeff Darlington. "We needed something to bring us together, and Peyton's speech before the game did it. He talked about how this whole situation brought him closer to his faith, how it made him think about life and what we're here for. He hoped we'd play for each brother next to us, because we're family."

In the off-season, Hillis signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs for $2.8 million -- including $2.4 million guaranteed -- after the Browns failed to make an offer. Will former Browns and current Chiefs offensive coordinator Brian Daboll let Hillis make a statement on the field Sunday?

"I'm sure he'll probably want to come in here and prove they made a mistake by not resigning him," said Thomas. "It will be interesting to see how many opportunities they give him."

On Twitter: @marykaycabot