Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas was suffering from Stage 2 CTE when he died at 33

Former Denver Broncos wide receiver and Super Bowl champion Demaryius Thomas was suffering from the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when he died at his Atlanta-area home in December at age 33, a posthumous diagnosis has discovered.

Boston University researchers revealed to The New York Times on Tuesday that Thomas was suffering from Stage 2 CTE – the same condition fellow NFL wide receiver Vincent Jackson was posthumously diagnosed with after he died from chronic alcohol use in February of 2021.

The Fulton County (Georgia) coroner’s office hasn’t determined a cause of death for Thomas, who finally retired in June of 2021 after last playing for the New York Jets in 2019.

Thomas was found dead in his shower after suffering a seizer, relatives have since revealed, which leads doctors to believe he was afflicted with more than just CTE. In fact, the former Georgia Tech star had battled seizures since a 2019 car accident.

Thomas, who may have already been battling CTE, was driving 70mph in a 30-mph zone in Denver when he flipped his car in 2019 and ultimately cracked the windshield with his head. The Jaws of Life were needed to extract Thomas from the vehicle, according to the Times.

‘He had two different conditions in parallel,’ Boston University’s Dr. Ann McKee told the Times, explaining that seizures are not typically linked with CTE.

Thomas was suffering from ‘memory loss, paranoia and isolation’ in the final years of his life, all of which are indicators of CTE. The paranoia was so bad, Thomas’s father, Bobby, told the Times that his son never left home without a gun. 

Former Broncos wide receiver and Super Bowl champion Demaryius Thomas was suffering from the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when he died at his Atlanta-area home in December at age 33, a posthumous diagnosis has discovered

Demaryius Thomas (88) of the Denver Broncos leaves the field with his mom, Katina Smith, and dad, Bobby Thomas, after winning Super Bowl 50 in February of 2016. Thomas complained of battling headaches at the time. The image has since been captured in a painting that still hangs in the Thomas family household 

Even the memory of Thomas’s Super Bowl win is now overshadowed by the head trauma he suffered in the game.

Thomas was flattened by Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly in Super Bowl 50 in February of 2016, and the lingering headaches prevented him from celebrating with teammates afterwards.

‘He was like, ‘Hey, y’all, I need to leave and go by myself because I don’t feel too good,’ Thomas’s mother, Katina Smith, told the Times. ‘And so, you know, he left and didn’t even finish celebrating or anything like that.’

A Getty Images photographer captured the moment after the game when Smith and Thomas’s father, Bobby, tried to embrace their son, who is seen with his eyes closed as he rubs the back of his head.

That moment was captured in a painting that still hangs in the family’s home.

It may ultimately be impossible to determine if Thomas died from the effects of his 2019 car accident, which marked the beginning of his seizures, or from something related to CTE, which has become increasingly linked with professional football players. 

As McKee told ABC, ‘CTE itself does not cause death,’ but it ‘does is it changes your behavior and your personality.’

Dr. Ann McKee, chief of neuropathology at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, and Professor of Neurology and Pathology at Boston University School of Medicine, diagnosed Thomas with CTE 

In 2017, a Boston University study diagnosed CTE in 110 out of 111 deceased former NFL players as part of the biggest ever case series on the disease. Several players who have been posthumously diagnosed with the disease committed suicide, such as former Patriots tight end and convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez, as well as All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau, who shot himself in the chest to preserve his brain for CTE researchers.

Another former NFL player, Phillip Adams, was found to have been suffering from the same condition when he murdered five people and then killed himself in South Carolina last year.

In December, following Thomas’s death, Jackson’s family revealed that he had been battling CTE prior to his sudden death.

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Jackson, a three-time Pro Bowl selection who was never diagnosed with a concussion in his 12 seasons, was found dead at 38 in a Brandon, Florida hotel room on February 5. Doctors have since determined that he died from alcohol consumption.

According to a press release issued by Jackson’s family, researchers discovered he was suffering from Stage 2 CTE, which can cause symptoms of aggression, impulsivity, depression, paranoia, anxiety and substance abuse.

‘That his brain showed Stage 2 CTE should no longer surprise us; these results have become commonplace,’ McKee said in the press release.

‘What is surprising is that so many football players have died with CTE and so little is being done to make football, at all levels, safer by limiting the number of repetitive subconcussive hits.’

Former NFL receiver Vincent Jackson (pictured) was also suffering from Stage 2 CTE when he was found dead from chronic alcohol consumption in February of 2021 at 38 

Ex-Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez suffered from stage 3 CTE at the time of his suicide, according to Boston University doctors, while his one-time teammate Phillip Adams had stage 2 when he killed himself earlier this year in South Carolina 

Several notable players who committed suicide were posthumously diagnosed with the disease, such as Junior Seau (left) and Aaron Hernandez (right)

Former NFL player Phillip Adams (pictured) was found to have been suffering from CTE when he murdered five people and then killed himself in South Carolina last year

Jackson suffered from chronic alcoholism and memory issues before his death, his wife, Lindsay, told ABC’s Good Morning America.

‘He shared with me once that alcohol made him feel calm, and made him feel like himself and that his brain was really fuzzy and this made it not fuzzy,’ Lindsay said.

His family suspected CTE because he sustained multiple concussions during a 12-year NFL career. However, he was never officially diagnosed with a traumatic head injury, according to team records.

Vincent Jackson’s family said in 2021 that he was diagnosed with CTE. In this 2016 photo, Jackson is seen with wife Lindsey

That’s not uncommon. About 20 percent of people suffering from the brain disease have never been diagnosed with a concussion, according to doctors from the CTE Center at Boston University.

‘It all made sense,’ Lindsay told GMA. ‘He didn’t know he had it. And I think, had he known, he wouldn’t have felt so ashamed or alone. No one should have to die in a room by himself.’

In her statement, Jackson’s widow urged families to address the issues of head trauma directly.

‘There is still a lot to be understood about CTE, and education is the key to prevention,’ Jackson’s widow, Lindsey, said in a statement. ‘The conversation around this topic needs to be more prevalent, and our family hopes that others will feel comfortable and supported when talking about CTE moving forward.’

Concussions may not be the only culprit when it comes to CTE.

Many researchers like McKee and Boston University associate professor Lee E. Goldstein (MD, PhD) now believe sub-concussive hits also play a major part in CTE. That means seemingly harmless contact throughout a football game or practice could also be a contributing factor to CTE.

‘The NFL needs to overhaul their awareness campaign to concentrate on repetitive head hits that don’t rise to the level of concussion,’ McKee told GMA.

Both the NFL and the NCAA have worked to reduce full-contact practice reps for players in an effort to cut the apparent risks of CTE.

Texans wide receiver Demaryius Thomas stands with his parents, Bobby Thomas, right, and Katina Smith, prior to the team’sgame against the Denver Broncos on November 4, 2018