OT: RIP Demaryius Thomas

[Ronin]

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Demaryius Thomas Diagnosed With C.T.E., Family Reckons With His Death​

Demaryius Thomas Diagnosed With C.T.E., Family Reckons With His Death

Demaryius Thomas’s parents see their son every day.

A painting of the former N.F.L. star rests against a wall in Katina Smith’s home, and Bobby Thomas, his father, keeps the same image on his cellphone. It depicts a cherished moment that now seems foreboding: The two beaming parents flank their son in the moments after his Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50 as Demaryius looks downward with a pained expression, scratching the back of his head.

The receiver had been leveled by Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly during the game and had a headache so bad that he missed most of the parties after the victory.

“He was like, ‘Hey, y’all, I need to leave and go by myself because I don’t feel too good,’” Smith recounted. “And so, you know, he left and didn’t even finish celebrating or anything like that.”

Demaryius Thomas died in December at 33, mere months after retiring from a Pro-Bowl career in the N.F.L. in which his charisma, humility and team-first ethos on the field made him a favorite of teammates and fans. Those closest to him said his behavior became increasingly erratic in the last year of his life, which was marked by the memory loss, paranoia and isolation that are hallmarks of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head hits.