The December death of former Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas was caused by complications related to a seizure disorder, according to the final report from the Fulton County (Ga.) Medical Examiner's Office.
The report, which was obtained by 9news.com in Denver, noted that Thomas had stage II CTE when he died, but the medical examiner also made sure to note that there was not "a direct relationship" between CTE and the seizure disorder.
The 33-year-old Thomas tragically died on Dec. 9. At the time of his death, one of his close family members told the Associated Press that the belief was that Thomas had died from a seizure. Thomas had regularly been dealing with seizures over the years and the family's belief was that he had a seizure while showering at his home in Roswell, Georgia.
Thomas died just 16 days shy of his 34th birthday. The former Broncos receiver spent 10 seasons in the NFL and he had just retired in June 2021, a mere six months before his passing. Thomas had a prolific career that included four Pro Bowl appearances. The receiver had such a successful career in Denver that team honored him before a Week 3 game last season.
During his time in Denver, the Broncos went to the playoffs five times, which included two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl win.
Thomas, who was a first-round pick in 2010, saw his career with the Broncos take off two years later with the arrival of Peyton Manning. In four years with Manning, Thomas topped 90 receptions and 1,300 yards in each season, making him just the fourth receiver in NFL history to top those two numbers in four consecutive seasons (Marvin Harrison, Jerry Rice and Torry Holt are the only other three to pull that off).
Before the arrival of Manning, Thomas had Tim Tebow as his quarterback and the two helped pull off one of the wildest postseason plays ever. In a game where the Broncos were a 7.5-point underdog, Denver was able to upset the Pittsburgh Steelers thanks to an 80-yard TD pass from Tebow to Thomas in overtime that sealed the win.
Forever one of the coolest football moments growing up. Tebow to Thomas for the win 😢
— Charlie Quinn (@CharlieQuinnMMA) December 10, 2021
Rest In Peace Demaryius Thomas wow. 🥺 pic.twitter.com/4LyA0bBW8Q
Over his eight-and-a-half seasons with the Broncos, Thomas etched his name into the Denver's all-time record book. Thomas finished his Broncos career with the second-most receiving yards (9,055) and receiving touchdowns (60) in franchise history. He also has the third-most receptions in team history.
