Demaryius Thomas Scholarship Established By Mannings At Georgia Tech

ATLANTA, GA — Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning is giving back and honoring an old teammate as Georgia Tech announced Wednesday his foundation is establishing the Demaryius A. Thomas Scholarship Endowment at the school.

Manning and his wife, Ashley, are establishing the fund through the PeyBack Foundation. The scholarship fund will provide financial aid based on demonstrated need to incoming freshmen students who live in or near Laurens County, Georgia, where Thomas grew up, according to the school.

Thomas, the former Georgia Tech football star who went on to an illustrious NFL career, was found dead in his Roswell home in December. Authorities said at the time the cause was a "medical issue" and family members told the Associated Press they believe he had a seizure.

Thomas was a teammate of Manning on the Denver Broncos from 2012-2015, helping the team win Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.

"D.T. was a better person than he was a player, and he was a Hall of Fame player," Manning said following news of Thomas' death. "That tells you how good of a person he was. He treated my kids like they were his own. He was there for every teammate's charity event."

Manning expressed how much he and his family missed Thomas in a social media post announcing the scholarship fund.

"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," Manning said. "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."

Thomas caught 120 passes for 2,339 yards and 15 touchdowns in three seasons with the run-heavy Yellow Jackets and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the first round with the 22nd overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft.

He had 724 catches for 9,763 yards and 63 touchdowns in 10 NFL seasons, mostly with the Broncos. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and was named second-team All-Pro twice.

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