Former NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who died last year at age 33, had CTE, according to Boston University researchers who studied the late NFL star’s brain.
Thomas — who was most known in the NFL for playing for the Denver Broncos and winning a Super Bowl with them — is one of more than 300 former NFL players who have been diagnosed with CTE by the BU CTE Center research team.
The scientists diagnosed Thomas with stage 2 of 4 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is associated with progressive behavior, cognitive and mood abnormalities. In the years before he died, Thomas developed depression, anxiety, panic attacks and trouble with his memory. Stage 4 is the most severe stage of CTE and is usually associated with dementia.
“Like so many that have gone before, we found stage 2 CTE in the brain of Demaryius Thomas,” said Ann McKee, director of the BU CTE Center and VA-BU-CLF/UNITE Brain Bank.
“The question I keep asking myself is, ‘When will enough be enough?’” McKee added. ” ‘When will athletes, parents and the public at large stop ignoring the risks of American football and insist that the game be changed to reduce subconcussive hits?’ “
Thomas’ family on Tuesday released the findings of his brain study through the Concussion Legacy Foundation to help raise awareness of CTE and urge the football community to support research.
“Once I became aware of CTE and began to familiarize myself with the symptoms, I noticed that Demaryius was isolating himself and I saw other changes in him,” said Demaryius’ mother Katina Smith.
“He was just so young, and it was horrible to see him struggle,” she added. “His father and I hope all families learn the risks of playing football. We don’t want other parents to have to lose their children like we did.”
Thomas played 10 seasons in the NFL for the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and Houston Texans. He also spent the 2019 offseason with the New England Patriots before getting traded in late August prior to the regular season.
Overall, Thomas played 16 years of tackle football before announcing his retirement at age 33 in 2021, six months before his death. His cause of death has not been reported.
There has been speculation his death may be related to an epileptic seizure. Although late-stage CTE can be associated with epilepsy, it is far more likely that he developed post-traumatic epilepsy after a motor vehicle accident and fall he experienced several years before his death.
“We are honored to include Mr. Thomas in our long list of brain donors (more than 1,250),” the BU CTE Center said in a statement. “Brain donation to the BU CTE Center has been the catalyst for meteoric advances in scientific understanding of CTE over the past decade.”
Researchers hope to be able to diagnose CTE in living people, along with treat the brain condition while the person is alive.
