In case your relationship with the Denver Broncos stops and ends the second the players touch their cleats to the field, let us fill you in on what’s been going on in Demaryius Thomas‘ life:
For the last 15 years, his mother, Katina Stuckey Smith, and his grandmother, Minnie Pearl Thomas, have been incarcerated for their roles in a Georgian cocaine ring. Last July, President Barack Obama commuted Smith’s sentence, along with 46 other drug offenders. And according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post, Smith was released from a halfway house in Georgia on November 9, and her 60-day travel restriction, which has kept her from visiting her son’s football games these last few months, will end prior to this weekend’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
All of which means that, for the first time in his life, Demaryius Thomas’ mother will be able to watch him play football.
Demaryius Thomas: "She can travel now, so we're working on that. I'd mean a lot. It'd be her first game."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) January 13, 2016
A lot of professional athletes have followed difficult paths to success, but this is a unique story. From star High School athlete to first-round selection out of Georgia Tech to Pro Bowler, Demaryius Thomas has done it all without his mother witnessing a single snap.
One can only imagine the emotions that will be flowing through that family this Sunday.