In overtime against the Steelers in the 2011 playoffs, it took just eight seconds from the time he cradled a Tim Tebow pass in his arms for him to cross the goal line and deliver one of the Broncos’ most memorable wins. During Peyton Manning’s seven-touchdown performance against the Ravens in 2013, Thomas caught a screen pass and raced away from defenders for a 78-yard score. The five-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion possessed more than straight-line speed. His hands flashed quickly to haul in Manning’s record-breaking 509th touchdown, and he would often stamp his toes down to secure another acrobatic catch.
Thomas posted incredible on-field accomplishments. He was the first receiver drafted in 2010, his prolific numbers place him high in the Broncos’ record books and he’s a surefire future Ring of Famer. We’ve remembered his accomplishments, and we’ll continue to keep his legacy alive in the days, weeks, months and years to come.
You have to understand: When I arrived in Denver as a digital media intern in May of 2016, D.T. was a big deal. He was coming off four consecutive Pro Bowl appearances with at least 1,300 receiving yards — and he seemed larger than life.
I’d joined the Broncos right out of college, and save for a three-month stint with the Miami Herald covering the Dolphins, Florida Panthers and Miami Heat, I’d only really interacted with college athletes. I’d never worked for a team before, and I wasn’t really sure what sort of interaction I’d have with professional athletes.
Early in my time in Denver — it was likely during the team’s offseason program — I wandered down to the cafeteria to get a coffee. As I put the cup under the machine, I felt a tap on my right shoulder. I turned to look, and there was no one there. I figured it was a coworker, but when I glanced back to my left, there was D.T., staring at the ceiling, acting like he had nothing to do with it.
It would’ve been hard to blame him if he lived his life with resentment. He had a childhood that most could not — and do not — make it through; His mother and grandmother were arrested for non-violent drug offenses when he was 11, and they spent half his life in prison before they had their sentences commuted in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
During my first several seasons with the team, I was also responsible for taking photos on Saturday mornings before home games and as the team departed for road games. I am not a good photographer — my editor jokes that my style is “dark and blurry” — so I was often dependent on the subject to make the pictures worth using. On their way out to a Saturday walkthrough or to the bus on their way to Kansas City, San Diego or Oakland, it wasn’t unusual for players to trudge by without looking at the camera. Others would stop and want a posed photo.
Thomas had a gentler side to him, too. On those same Saturday mornings, Broncos players and coaches would bring their children to UCHealth Training Center to eat breakfast with them. D.T. also treated everyone else’s sons and daughters like they were his own. Every Saturday morning that I was in that cafeteria, Thomas would walk into the building and former Running Backs Coach and Assistant Head Coach Eric Studesville’s son, E.J., would run to Thomas.
Thomas’ community work in Denver largely revolved around helping children, as he always had time to support kids from the Broncos Boys & Girls Club, the Make-A-Wish foundation and so many other kids in need. You’ll never see a better Santa Claus than D.T. at the Boys & Girls Club holiday party.
On a day-to-day basis, D.T. was always there with a fist bump and to ask how you were doing. You could tell he always meant it, too.
Just this summer, I saw Thomas at Manning’s Hall of Fame induction. We hadn’t really spoken since he left Denver, and there’s hundreds of staffers that likely crossed his path during his career. When D.T. saw me, he lit up and pulled me in for a hug. He had a knack for making everyone feel like they were the most important person in the room.
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