The Denver community was devastated when news of former Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas‘ passing broke last week. When the Broncos and Detroit Lions took the field on Sunday, there was no question that both teams still had their minds on the tragedy that occurred.
Tributes for Thomas were seen and heard across the NFL, but the Broncos wanted to honor the man who had made such a big impact on their city and team in a different way.
On the first play of the game, the Broncos took the field with just 10 players. They took a delay of game, which Detroit declined. After taking a moment to honor Thomas, wide receiver Courtland Sutton ran onto the field to give the Broncos their eleventh player.
“It was a special moment to be a part of something like that with this organization,” Denver quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said. “Paying homage to someone who did so many great things, not only on the football field but off the field. I think we’re all familiar with ‘Bay-Bay’s’ [Thomas’] story and just how he impacted people. Everyone he came across, his smile, his presence. So it was great to just go out there with 10 guys and understand that he was out there with us.”
The planned tribute was beautiful – but so was the unplanned. The Broncos ended the game with an 88 (Thomas’ number) yard drive.
“For us to be able to come in as young players and have such an amazing person be our mentor, it was tough and it made it a tough week,” Sutton said. “It still is tough. It’s not something that you just wake up and it goes away. He’s gone and it’s sad — it’s very sad. All we can do now is try to make him as proud as we possibly can because he showed us the way. He gave us the roadmap and it’s on us to continue the legacy and continue to live as D.T. did. That’s what we want to do.”
