ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Following the tragic death of franchise legend Demaryius Thomas, the Broncos will have a series of tributes during Sunday's game against the Lions.
The Broncos will wear No. 88 helmet decals, show a pregame video tribute and hold a moment of silence, according to Head Coach Vic Fangio. There may additional tributes, as well.
Editor's note: On Saturday, the team announced more details regarding tributes to Thomas on Sunday. Beginning at 10 a.m. MT, there will be a memorial on the south side of the stadium for Thomas at the base of the horse sculptures in Ring of Fame Plaza where fans can stop by and pay their respects. The Broncos will also play a tribute video and hold a moment of silence before the national anthem prior to kickoff. There will be a No. 88 logo painted on the field on the Broncos' sideline, as well.
"There's still 10 players on this team that played with him," Fangio said Friday. "A bunch of coaches that coached him, including [Running Backs Coach] Curtis Modkins, who recruited him to Georgia Tech and was one of his college coaches besides being on the staff here in 2018 with him. We have over 40 workers in the organization and the support staff that were around him. Just seeing and feeling their reaction and hurt just tells you what a special player D.T. was. I never had the opportunity to meet him, but [him being] a special player and a special person is obvious by their responses."
Fangio said President/CEO Joe Ellis spoke "extensively" about Thomas during a Friday morning team meeting. Modkins and other coaches also addressed the team.
"Obviously the people that knew him and were around him, they're sad and depressed — down a little bit," Fangio said. "But I think everybody handled the day well, we had a good practice and we're ready to pay tribute to him on Sunday."
Tackle Garett Bolles, who was drafted in 2017 and was one of 10 current Broncos to call Thomas a teammate, said he and his teammates will aim to channel Thomas' spirit against the Lions and beyond.
"His legacy will live on," Bolles said. "The one thing he always said was his name was going to be in these rafters, and everyone's going to know who he is for so many years. We've got to put 88 in our hearts, and hopefully he gives us that juice, he gives us that desire to go make the playoffs. That's what I feel like we need to do for him, and hopefully we do that."
