Middle Georgia native Demaryius Thomas posthumously diagnosed with CTE

Caption

In this 2007 Telegraph file photo, then-Georgia Tech wide receiver Demaryius Thomas leaps for a pass that was over his head against the University of Georgia.

Credit: Bob Snow/Special to the Telegraph

Middle Georgia native and NFL star Demaryius Thomas was posthumously diagnosed with CTE on Tuesday, according to his family. The New York Times reported the diagnosis along with the harmful effects the condition had on Thomas at the end of his life.

Thomas, who died in December at age 33, dealt with debilitating headaches and sluggishness in addition to seizures caused by a separate condition, his family told the Times.

CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is a progressive brain condition that is commonly associated with football, as it is thought to stem from repeated blows to the head. Its symptoms often resemble those of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

Thomas’s death is only the latest in a sea of CTE concerns for the NFL over the years, a list that includes multiple players who were diagnosed with CTE after dying by suicide.

Thomas was a native of Montrose and starred at West Laurens High School. He played football at Georgia Tech, earning numerous ACC honors as a wide receiver prior to his Pro Bowl NFL career.

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Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas reacts after making a catch during the first half of the team's NFL football game against the New York Giants on Oct. 15, 2017, in Denver. Thomas, who earned five straight Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl ring during a prolific receiving career spent mostly with the Broncos.

Credit: Jack Dempsey/AP file photo

Thomas’s most notable years in the NFL came with the Denver Broncos, where he won a Super Bowl while notching five straight seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards. He lived in Georgia for the majority of his life until he passed away in Roswell.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with The Telegraph.