Demaryius Thomas Mourned by Friends Eric and Jessie James Decker

Eric Decker and Jessie James Decker were upset to learn the news of the death of former NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. Eric and Jessie each went to Instagram to pay tribute to their friend. Eric, a former NFL wide receiver, was Thomas’ teammate for four seasons when they were with the Denver Broncos. 

“We met in Arizona pre-NFL draft 2010,” Eric wrote. “I was enamored by his presence. Not many 20 year olds built like him. I was rehabbing from a major foot surgery and was struggling with it. Felt alone and weak. Demaryius unfortunately suffered a Jones fracture halfway through his training (not long after he arrived). He had surgery and found himself next to me rehabbing every day. We instantly bonded over it. Leaned on one another to stay the course – and the same with other shortcomings in our lives. He was the brother I always wanted.”

Jessie got very emotional when she heard that Thomas died. “When we got the call last night I dropped to my knees and I couldn’t believe it,” Jessie wrote. “I don’t think I’ve ever cried so hard in my life and the tears just won’t stop. I’ve never seen Eric like this before, his heart is in pieces. We loved Demaryius like he was family. The relationship he and Eric had was beautiful and special. His heart, his infectious smile, his kindness, his soul. Eric and Demaryius were truly like brothers and anyone that was around them could feel how special their friendship was together on and off the field.

“I don’t know if we will ever truly heal from this one. I will cherish the beautiful memories we all had together in Denver and I know he will be looking down on all of us from heaven. …DT we love you so much and we’re grateful for the years we had together. We will miss you.”

Thomas died at his home in Roswell, Georgia last week at the age of 33. The cause of death has not been announced, but police said his death was attributed to a “medical issue.” Thomas played for the Broncos from 2010-2018 before spending time with the Houston Texans, New England Patriots and New York Jets. In his career, Thomas was selected to play in the Pro Bowl four times, made the All-Pro Second Team twice and helped the Broncos win the Super Bowl in 2015.