Late NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas had the degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, Boston University researchers revealed Tuesday.
Thomas was found dead at his home in Georgia on 9 December at age 33, but the Fulton County coroner has not released a cause of death.
His family suspected seizures resulting from a 2019 car accident might have caused his death. The former Denver Broncos star began displaying erratic behavior, including mood changes and isolation, in 2020, according to his family. “His mood would change, and he would also isolate himself sometimes,” said Katina Stuckey Smith, Thomas’ mother, in an interview with ABC. “He was, like, ‘Mom, I don’t know what’s going on with my body.
You know, I gotta get myself together,’ and he said, ‘I don’t feel like myself anymore.’” Neuropathologist Dr Ann McKee, part of the Boston University brain research team, told ABC that Thomas most likely died after having a seizure.