Sunday, October 27, 2024

Broncos to honor Demaryius Thomas with decals, video, other tributes during Sunday’s game vs. Lions

Broncos to honor Demaryius Thomas with decals, video, other tributes during Sunday’s game vs. Lions

The Denver Broncos will honor the life of former wide receiver Demaryius Thomas during Sunday’s home game against the Detroit Lions. The Broncos will wear No. 88 decals, will show a pregame video tribute and will have a moment of silence in honor of Thomas, who tragically died on Thursday at the age of 33. 

Broncos coach Vic Fangio and offensive tackle Garett Bolles addressed the media on Friday. While he never coached Thomas, Fangio spoke about the impact that Thomas had on everyone he interacted with during his time with the organization. 

“We have over 40 workers in the organization and the support staff that were around him,” Fangio said, via the Broncos’ website. “Just seeing and feeling their reaction and hurt just tells you what a special player D.T. was. I never had the opportunity to meet him, but [him being] a special player and a special person is obvious by their responses.”

Bolles is one of 10 current Broncos players who were teammates of Thomas, a four-time Pro Bowler during his nine seasons with the Broncos. 

“His legacy will live on,” Bolles said. “The one thing he always said was his name was going to be in these rafters, and everyone’s going to know who he is for so many years. We’ve got to put 88 in our hearts, and hopefully he gives us that juice, he gives us that desire to go make the playoffs. That’s what I feel like we need to do for him, and hopefully we do that.”

A slew of former and current NFL players responded to the news of Thomas’ death on Thursday night and throughout the day on Friday. Among those who publicly reacted to Thomas’ death was his former quarterback, Peyton Manning. Manning and Thomas connected for a then-Super Bowl record 13 completions during the Broncos’ Super Bowl loss to Seattle. Two years later, the duo helped the Broncos capture the franchise’s third Super Bowl title. 

Manning said that he had a text message conversation with Thomas earlier this week about a touchdown audible the Broncos called in a 2014 game against the Cardinals. Manning said that he was “absolutely crushed” upon hearing the news of Thomas’ death. 

“D.T. was a better person than he was a player, and he was a Hall of Fame player,” Manning said. “That tells you how good of a person he was. He treated my kids like they were his own. He was there for every teammate’s charity event.” 

Thomas was found dead in his home, according to a Roswell, Georgia, police report obtained by the Washington Post. LaTonya Bonseigneur, a first cousin who grew up with Thomas, told the Associated Press the family believes he died from a seizure. Thomas had been dealing with lingering neurological effects from a 2019 car accident, per Bonseigneur. 

“He had been suffering from seizures for over a year, and we believe he had a seizure when he was showering,” Bonseigneur said. “We’re not sure when he died. We just spoke with him yesterday.”

Along with his exploits on the field, many have celebrated Thomas’ contagious smile, humility, giving spirit, and upbeat attitude in the hours since his death was made public. It’s clear that Thomas made a lasting impact on those he came in contact with that expands far beyond what he was able to accomplish as a football player, even though those achievements were considerable. 

“We were all blessed with his humility and positive spirit, and we will all miss him,” said Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who posted a photo of himself with Thomas during this past summer’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony. “A source of light as always.”

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