It’s been over seven months since the sudden death of famed Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, but doctors are still finding new revelations surrounding his unexpected death.
Doctors from Boston University have revealed that Thomas suffered from Stage 2 Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) prior to his death. Previous indicators of his death said that a seizure related to a 2019 car crash however, new reports say that Thomas’s erratic behavior beforehand was due to the degenerative CTE.
According to findings released by Thomas’ family from Boston University’s brain study, Stage 2 CTE is associated with mood abnormalities, erratic behavior and irrational behavior. Dr. Ann Mckee, an expert on CTE said, “He had two different conditions in parallel. [The] public at large (to) stop ignoring the risks of American football and insist that the game be changed to reduce subconcussive hits … (and that) athletes be comprehensively evaluated at the beginning and end of every season.”
Thomas’ seizures apparently came with “little or no warning and led Thomas to wreck other cars and fall down steps.” The star also developed depression, anxiety, panic attacks, memory troubles and more in the months leading up to his death. His parents also noted that Thomas’ peripheral vision was reduced after retirement and paranoia later in his life caused him to never leave home without a firearm. His potential return to the NFL was also put on the back burner due to increased dependence on anti-seizure medications, ozone therapy and more.
CTE has caused many problems within the last few years and has had deadly complications. Most recently, former San Francisco tight end Greg Clark died from a self-inflicted gun wound. Researchers found that Clark suffered from Stage 3 CTE at the time of his death. Similarly, former player Phillip Adams killed six people before taking his own life in April 2021 while suffering from Stage 2 CTE.
No official cause of death has been released for Thomas, however, he is just another name on a growing list of athletes whose lives were cut short due to CTE.
