Peyton Manning is honoring the memory and legacy of his former Denver Broncos teammate Demaryius Thomas.
The great NFL quarterback is establishing a scholarship at Thomas’ college, Georgia Tech, in conjunction with the school.
Thomas was an All-American at Georgia Tech and then played in 10 NFL seasons. He died Dec. 9 at his home in Roswell, Ga, at the age of 34.
“Demaryius Thomas was an incredibly talented and unselfish teammate, but more importantly, he was a special person and friend,” Peyton Manning said. “My family and I miss him dearly, and we wanted to honor D.T.’s memory by partnering the PeyBack Foundation with Georgia Tech to establish the Demaryius A. Thomas Scholarship Endowment.
“An important part of Demaryius’ legacy was the way he inspired the next generation to pursue their dreams with the same perseverance and determination that defined him. Through this scholarship to Georgia Tech, Demaryius will have a lasting impact on deserving youth from his hometown area who can follow in his footsteps and accomplish great things in life.”
A player at Georgia Tech will be awarded the No. 8 college jersey of Thomas. The Yellow Jackets will do it on August 8 — 8/8 — as a nod to the 88 Thomas wore in Denver.
Manning told Sam Farmer of the LA Times: “That player’s going to have to carry on DT’s legacy of being unselfish, tough, dependable, all the great characteristics that made him such a special player and special teammate. Ashley and I are proud to be a part of this and we miss him every day.”
