Tim Tebow got emotional when talking about the death of his former Denver Broncos teammate, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. The former Broncos quarterback appeared on ESPN’s First Take on Friday to pay tribute to Thomas who died on Thursday night at his home in Roswell, Georgia.
“I think we all know how gifted DT was on the football field but that was not his greatest gift — his greatest gift was the joy he brought to life,” Tebow said, as transcribed by the New York Post. “I had a chance to talk with [former Broncos WR] Eric Decker this morning and we were reminiscing on our great times together with DT and the one thing we kept coming back to was how when he would walk in a room, he made the room brighter.
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“He made the room better — not because of what he did on the football field, but because of his smile, his kindness, because of his joy for life, because his love for people. I want us to remember him, but I want us to honor him, by when we have a chance to go live out our dreams and what we do to bring that same joy, love and kindness for people. That’s the way I’m going to remember DT, and that’s the way I think so many of his friends and family will remember him as well — as someone that loved people, as someone that brought so much joy, as someone that when they walked in a room that room got brighter and better because of DT. We will love him and miss him dearly.”
Both Tebow and Thomas were drafted by the Broncos in the first round back in 2010. Both made one of the most memorable plays in Broncos history when Thomas caught a game-winning 80-yard touchdown pass from Tebow in a playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in January 2012. Tebow was traded to the New York Jets before the 2012 season, and Thomas played with the Broncos until the end of the 2018 season.
Thomas died at his home in Roswell, Georgia on Thursday night. The cause of death has not been officially announced, but police said that Thomas’ death was attributed to a “medical issue.” Thomas played college football at Georgia Tech and high school football at West Laurens in Dexter, Georgia.
