Bill Belichick fondly remembers Demaryius Thomas originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
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Demaryius Thomas wasn't in New England for very long, but Bill Belichick offered a glowing remembrance of the former NFL wide receiver who passed away last week at only 33.
Speaking Wednesday morning, Belichick said that a lot of people with the Patriots had relationships with Thomas in the summer of 2019, and they were all positive.
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"I don’t think anybody could ever find a bad word to say about him," Belichick said. "And we think about all that he went through and what he accomplished in his life and what he had overcome and what a person — I mean, he’s a great player but he’s a better person."
McDaniels shares heartfelt memories of coaching Demaryius Thomas
Thomas never appeared in a regular season game for the Patriots, who released him during final roster cutdowns at the end of training camp in 2019. The team briefly re-signed him after the fact, but traded him to the New York Jets a week later following the acquisition of Antonio Brown.
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"[He] really embraced every opportunity he had," Belichick said. "He had great relationships with everybody from the top on down to the lowest ball boy or teammates. Always had a smile on his face, worked hard, great team player, and a very passionate and compassionate individual. Did everything you asked him to do. I think everybody has a ton of respect for DT."
Thomas spent the majority of his career with the Denver Broncos, winning Super Bowl 50, and also briefly played for the Houston Texans.
The Patriots originally owned the pick with which the Broncos drafted Thomas out of Georgia Tech in 2010, but after a series of trades with Denver and the Dallas Cowboys wound up with picks that became Devin McCourty, Taylor Price and Aaron Hernandez.
