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, New York times mentioned and Thomas family announced. Doctors previously indicated that Thomas died of an epileptic seizure caused by a car accident in 2019, but the degenerative brain disease contributed to previously “increasingly erratic” behavior, 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.
The Thomas family released the results of a brain study conducted by the Boston University CTE Center through the Concussion Legacy Foundation (CLF) to raise awareness of CTE. Stage II CTE is associated with progressive behaviour, cognitive and mood disturbances, according to CLF. Thomas developed depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and memory problems before his death.
“He had two different conditions at the same time,” said Dr. Ann Mackey, a neurologist and lead author of CTE. times. McKee has diagnosed more than 300 former NFL players with CTE and is calling through the CLF for “the public at large to stop ignoring the dangers of American football and insist on changing the game to reduce strangulation… (and that) athletes are being evaluated.” comprehensively at the beginning and end of each season.
Katina Smith, Thomas’ mother, revealed to times that the former Bronco star told her after his retirement that his “peripheral vision had diminished,” while his father, Bobby Thomas, said the receiver’s paranoia increased late in his life “to the point where he never left home 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.
