One of the most beloved football players in Denver Broncos history, the late Demaryius Thomas, will be enshrined in the team’s Ring of Fame on Sunday as part of the franchise’s Alumni Weekend celebration, the team announced on Wednesday. It’s a long-overdue tribute to one of the Broncos’ all-time greats, a much-needed gesture by the franchise to protect Thomas’ legacy.
But the man of the hour won’t be present for the induction this weekend. He can’t be. And that’s a sorrowing reminder of the nature of the sport that has become this nation’s unofficial pastime in recent decades.
When Thomas passed unexpectedly on Dec. 9, 2021, just 16 days before the wide receiver’s 34th birthday, it sent shock waves throughout Broncos Country. Former teammates, coaches, and fans fought their grief with story of his on-field heroics — of which there were many.
Who could forget Thomas’ 80-yard catch-and-run (and vicious stiff-arm he gave Ike Taylor mid-play) on a pass from Tim Tebow on the first play of overtime to deliver Denver a 29-23 win over the Steelers in the first round of the playoffs in 2011? Or the 2014 game against the 49ers when Thomas caught Peyton Manning’s then-NFL record breaking 509th career touchdown pass, and followed it up by also hauling in number 510 later that afternoon?
Across nine seasons in blue and orange, Thomas’ statistics stack up with just about any other player in franchise history. The Georgia native ranks third all time for the franchise in receptions and second in receiving yards, touchdowns, and yards per game in team history. A five-time Pro Bowl selection, Thomas remains the franchise’s all-time single-game and single-season receiving leader. But you need to look past the numbers to really understand Thomas’ complex legacy.
The man that was born on Christmas Day did not have an easy upbringing. By the time he was 11, both Thomas’ mother and grandmother had been convicted of non-violent drug offenses and were serving life sentences in prison (which were later commuted during Thomas’ professional career). Kids in those sorts of circumstances don’t usually beat the odds, and DT knew that well.
That’s why he spent so much of his free time volunteering. The Boys and Girls Club, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, you name it. Countless kids around the Denver metro area and in his home state of Georgia don’t remember Demaryius Thomas the wide receiver, they remember Demaryius Thomas the guy who would dress up as Santa Claus and deliver presents to them on his birthday. That’s a testament to the person that he was, and to the impact he had on his communities far, far beyond the spectacle of sport.
Of course, sport, and more specifically football, is the vessel with which Thomas ascended to a place of being able to give back to his community, and that is an important lens to view his life through. After all, when he passed away at age 33, he did in the midst of lingering injuries and medical complications compiled during his playing career.
According to the autopsy report published after Thomas’ death, the former star wideout suffered from stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, more commonly referred to as CTE. The degenerative brain disease has become almost commonplace for former professional football players, who suffer blows to the head constantly throughout the course of a game, season, and career.
According to reporting done by ABC News in the wake of Thomas’ passing, the former Bronco’s parents said that Thomas had suffered from constant headaches, memory loss, and violent mood swings, robbing the previously always cheery wideout of his signature smile and quality of life for at least the final year of his life. Even if he had not passed unexpectedly, his suffering almost certainly would have continued throughout however much time he had left.
That’s why it’s not enough to just honor Demaryius Thomas. We have to actively remember him, too. Football, as a sport, owes it to themselves to learn from his diagnosis — and learn about his diagnoses.
Here’s the thing about professional athletes — the ‘professional athlete’ phase of their life is supposed to be the shortest one. And when that sport robs a person of their ability to have a life post-playing career, changes to the very fabric of that sport are necessary.
The league has done well in introducing guardian caps, protective soft-shell helmet covers designed to ease impact force on hits to the head and ultimately diminish concussion rates, and allowing players to wear them in game action. They have also done well in changing what was previously the most dangerous play in the sport, the kickoff return, to avoid players running in to each other at full speed from thirty or forty yards away.
These changes helped the NFL drop to a historically low 182 concussions throughout the 2024 season — still an average of more than 10 concussions per week of the regular season. Clearly, the league still has a lot of work to do to get that number closer to zero.
Continued investment in concussion research and further rule changes will go a long way in ensuring that DT’s legacy isn’t forgotten, and, more importantly, preventing other athletes from joining the Broncos legend as unintentional martyrs of the sport.
The Broncos, as a franchise, still have work to do to protect DT’s legacy, too. In my opinion, that starts with his number. Thomas wore No. 88 throughout his playing time in Denver, and surely there will be countless fans in No. 88 jerseys in the stands on Sunday. But he’s not the most recent Bronco to suit up in the number — that honor belongs to journeyman tight end Nick Vannett, who sported it for 15 games in 2020.
It’s wrong that anybody but DT has worn No. 88 since he left the Mile High City. It was wrong when Vannett was issued the number, and it’s wrong to look back on now. That’s not something the Broncos can fix. But they can make sure that something like that never happens again.
The Denver Broncos have retired just three numbers in their 65 years of franchise history — 7 for John Elway, 44 for Floyd Little, 18 for Frank Tripuka (and much later, Peyton Manning). Giving DT a spot in the Ring of Fame is nice, but it’s time to add a fourth retired number to that list.
It’s what he deserves.