Here’s how the Denver Broncos said goodbye to legendary wide receiver Demaryius Thomas
Demaryius Thomas was everywhere during the Denver Broncos’ Sunday afternoon matchup against the Detroit Lions.
Except, of course, he wasn’t.
There were photos of the Georgia native inside and outside the stadium along with jerseys displaying his number “88,” which was also painted on Empower Field in Bronco orange and white and navy blue and worn as a decal on players’ helmets. But the former West Laurens and Georgia Tech standout was physically absent, even if players talked about his spiritual presence.
Thomas died Thursday at his home in Roswell, a few weeks shy of his 34th birthday. We don’t officially know how he died, but family members noted he suffered from seizures, and believe he might have had one Thursday night.
So Sunday’s showdown became imbued with more purpose than simply winning a football game. It was about giving Thomas’ family, friends, teammates and fans a chance to mourn his tragic passing. About remembering Thomas, whether to you he was DT or “Bay-Bay” or 88 or a man you’d cheered for since he was hitting three pointers for the West Laurens Raiders.
Denver began the game with only 10 men on the field, representing their missing eleventh, and took a delay of game penalty. The Lions declined it. Outside the stadium some knelt, overcome by emotion, in front of Thomas’ number wreathed in flowers and candles.
Thomas’ death is tragic for a lot of reasons. 33-year-olds aren’t supposed to die, especially not former professional athletes when they’re in seemingly great physical shape.
A football and basketball star at West Laurens High School, Thomas was an All-American at Georgia Tech and then became one of the greatest Denver Broncos receivers of all time before retiring two years ago. After spending the bulk of his 33 years devoted to football, he had the rest of his life to enjoy the fruits of his labor, to continue investing in the game he’d already invested so much into, maybe as a coach, or to go in an entirely new direction.
But it wasn’t to be.
Thomas’ on-field achievements are impressive: top three all-time in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns for the Broncos; consecutive seasons with more than 100 catches; four Pro-Bowls; one Super Bowl.
Then there’s his impact on his teammates and on his family, including his mother and grandmother, who had federal prison sentences commuted by President Barack Obama in 2015 and 2016. His mother was able to watch him play in the 2016 Super Bowl.
“D.T. was a better person than he was a player, and he was a Hall of Fame player,” his former quarterback Peyton Manning said.
“It still is tough,” fellow Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton said after Sunday’s game. “It’s not something that you just wake up and it goes away. He’s gone and it’s sad — it’s very sad. All we can do now is try to make him as proud as we possibly can because he showed us the way.”
“He was our big brother,” receiver Tim Patrick added.
There was a game to be played Sunday afternoon in Denver, of course, against the hapless one-win Lions, their ranks thinned by a flu outbreak.
Of course, the Broncos won, 38-10.
And, of course, their final drive went 88 yards, the team gathering around Thomas’ jersey number painted on the field, clapping, raising their arms in victory and touching the white and blue and orange paint in reverence for their brother who was everywhere that day.
This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 1:29 PM.
