Photo: Elise Amendola/AP/Shutterstock
Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas has died. He was 33.
Thomas was found dead in his Atlanta, Georgia, home Thursday evening from what police believe to be a medical issue, Officer Tim Lupo, Roswell Police Department public information officer, confirmed to PEOPLE.
“Preliminary information is that his death stems from a medical issue, and our investigators currently have no reason to believe otherwise,” Lupo said in a statement.
“He had been suffering from seizures for over a year, and we believe he had a seizure when he was showering,” Bonseigneur told the outlet. “We’re not sure when he died. We just spoke with him yesterday.”
She continued, “He was alone and a friend couldn’t get hold of him, so he called his driver, who has a key because of these seizures, and he went into his home and found him in the shower.”
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Thomas was a first-round pick for the Broncos in the 2010 NFL draft, spending nine seasons with the team. He also briefly played with the Houston Texans and New York Jets. In his 10-year NFL career, Thomas was a five-time Pro Bowler and also won Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos.
Thomas announced his retirement from the NFL in June, sharing a video and saying, “I’m Demaryius Thomas. I finally came to a decision to hang it up. … I’m going to retire and I’m going to retire a Denver Bronco,” he said. “… I’m done and I did well,“ESPNreportsed
Georgia Tech, where Thomas played college football,posteda photo of the former athlete onTwitterwriting, “Rest in peace, Bay Bay,” referring to Thomas' nickname.
“DT 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. I texted with D.T. on Tuesday. He was talking about a TD audible we called vs. Arizona in 2014. Absolutely devastated.”
Tom Bradyposted a photo of himself smiling with Thomas, raving about the “humility and positive spirit” of his late friend.
“I’m so sad to wake up this morning to hear about the passing of my friend Demariyus Thomas. We were all blessed with his humility and positive spirit, and we will all miss him,” Brady tweeted. “This photo is from the Hall of Fame this past August, a source of light as always.RIP.”
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Russell Wilson wrote on Twitter, “Heartbroken.#RIPYoung Legend. DeMaryius Thomas #88.”
Robert Griffin III latertweetedabout Thomas, telling his followers to “make it a point to give people their flowers while they are alive.”
“Mannnnn that’s just heart breaking…” headded. “So much life was left for Demaryius Thomas to live. Prayers up for him, his family and loved ones.“The NFL alsoadded, “The NFL family mourns the tragic loss of Demaryius Thomas and we extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” alongside a photo of Thomas.
source: people.com
