Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Broncos will pay tribute to the life of Demaryius Thomas, who passed away at the age of 33 on Thursday, in their next game.
Thomas was taken from us far too soon, and the NFL world mourns his loss. The 33-year-old was found dead in his Roswell, Georgia home, and reportedly perished due to a neurological issue stemming from his 2019 car accident.
Both Broncos coach Vic Fangio and several of his former teammates spoke about what Thomas meant to them in a media session on Friday.
“We have over 40 workers in the organization and the support staff that were around him,” Fangio said. “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.”
How will Broncos honor Demaryius Thomas?
The Broncos will wear a helmet decal in Sunday’s game against the Lions — and possibly for the rest of the season. The decal will be of Thomas’ number, No. 88. There will also be a pregame video tribute as well as other testimonial during the game.
“His legacy will live on,” Garrett Bolles, who remains on the Broncos and played with Thomas, 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.”
Thomas’ was perhaps best known for his game-winning catch in overtime against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2010 Wild Card round, but he also made four Pro Bowls with the Broncos.