henry lee thomas jr. (born january 12, 1965) is a former professional american football player who played defensive tackle in the national football league (nfl). his nickname was "hardware hank." he played for the minnesota vikings for the first eight seasons of his career. he attended louisiana state university, where he played college football for the lsu tigers football team. thomas twice was selected to the pro bowl. he joined the detroit lions in 1995, where he played two seasons, before finishing his career with four seasons with the new england patriots.