Seven months after the unexpected death of former Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, doctors from Boston University revealed that Thomas suffered from stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) late in his life, to me New York times. Doctors and family previously indicated that Thomas died of a seizure caused by a car accident in 2019, but the degenerative brain disease contributed to “increasingly erratic” behavior beforehand, Ken Bilson reports.
Bilson wrote that the last year of Thomas’ life was “marked by the amnesia, paranoia, and isolation that are hallmarks” of CTE, citing those close to the late wide receiver. The Boston University medical team on Tuesday agreed with the previous consensus that Thomas likely died of complications from his car crash, noting that the seizures “attacked without or without warning and prompted Thomas to crash other cars and fall down the stairs.” But the former first-round draft pick, who announced his retirement from the NFL just months before his death, has the family worried about his safety even before the bouts begin in 2020.
“He had two different conditions at the same time,” said Dr. Ann Mackey, a neurologist and lead author of CTE. times.
Katina Smith, Thomas’s mother, revealed that the former Bronco star told her after he retired that his “peripheral vision has diminished”, while his father, Bobby Thomas, said The The times when the receiver’s paranoia “grew to the point that he never left the house without a gun.” About a year before his death, according to Bilson, Thomas’ plans for a potential NFL comeback were set to simmer amid increased reliance on medical care, such as anti-seizure medications, ozone therapy and hyperbaric chamber therapy.
Thomas retired as one of the most productive receivers of his era, with 9,763 yards in 11 seasons knocked out by Georgia Tech. One of Peyton Manning’s favorite goals during the 2015 Super Bowl in Denver, he finished his career with more than a dozen franchise-earning records.
