Demaryius Thomas, a former receiver for the Denver Broncos from 2010-2018, was found dead Thursday night in his home in Roswell, Ga.
Thomas, most notably, gained notoriety for his game-winning 80-yard touchdown reception in overtime in the 2011-2012 playoffs over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
News of Thomas's passing began to reverberate late Thursday night, as many fans and NFL players tuned in to Thursday Night Football to see the Minnesota Vikings defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Once the news broke, NFL players took to Twitter to mourn Thomas.
Demaryius Thomas mourned by NFL Twitter
Despite being 6'3" and 236 pounds and running a 4.38 40-yard dash, Thomas is today being mourned more for how great of a person he was. Here are some tweets from Thomas' NFL family that are now mourning his loss.
Heartbroken. #RIP Young Legend.DeMaryius Thomas 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 #88 https://t.co/JRT99jUwlx
RIP Demaryius Thomas, i can’t believe it
Life is so short… prayers up 🙏🏾
Love forever bro 🕊 https://t.co/eUQDBR8WP5
One time for Demaryius Thomas! Gone way too soon! 🙏🏾 https://t.co/6eJeWWaY66
I don’t even know how to feel. #RIP Demaryius Thomas 💔💔💔 twitter.com/milesgarretttv…
Heartbroken 💔 https://t.co/e3EbU0aPeP
Fly High DT 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 #88
RIP Demaryius Thomas🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Words surely cannot express just how Demaryius Thomas touched the lives of those around him. He was drafted out of Georgia Tech and starred in a system that was not conducive or productive for receivers, as they are known as a run-heavy offense.
Despite that, Thomas was drafted in the first-round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. To put into perspective just how electric of a player he was, Demaryius was drafted ahead of Dez Bryant as the first receiver selected.
Thomas's rookie season was marred by injuries, but his second year saw him make an incredible 80-yard catch-and-dash to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime of a playoff game.
Tim Tebow found Demaryius Thomas in overtime -- and just like that, the game was over. Watch the @Broncos classic playoff win over the Steelers tonight at 10 PM ET on @CBSSportsNet. https://t.co/baYGvrRyZH
During the 80-yard scamper, Thomas was able to showcase his dynamic speed, as well as his strength, as he had to stiff arm veteran Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor on the way to the endzone.
Later in his Broncos career, he caught passes from Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning as they lost Super Bowl 48 to the Seattle Seahawks but won Super Bowl 50 vs. the Carolina Panthers.
Thomas was a big reason for those wins as he was one of the most feared receivers in the league during his tenure alongside Peyton Manning.
He currently holds franchise records for the most receiving yards in a season (1,619), the most touchdowns in a season (14), and the most receiving yards in a game (226).
Thomas was found dead Thursday at his Roswell, Ga. home. Preliminary reports have indicated that his death may have been a result of a medical issue.
Recently, former teammates and a close family friend reported that the former receiver had bouts with seizures and may have had a seizure in the shower.
Rest in peace, Demaryius Thomas.
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