FOXBORO, Mass. -- Demaryius Thomas made a strong impression on Bill Belichick despite only spending a few months in New England.
Thomas, who participated in Patriots training camp and preseason in 2019, died last Thursday at 33 years old due to a medical issue. Belichick on Wednesday morning offered his thoughts on a player who was highly respected among NFL players and coaches.
Here are his full remarks on Thomas:
"That was a very sad and unfortunate situation. We talked about him on Tuesday. ... Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. He was a great kid that didn't have an easy start to his life. He embraced every opportunity that he had. He had great relationships with everybody from the top on down to the lowest ball boy or whatever. He always had a smile on his face, worked hard, great team player, and very passionate and compassionate individual. Did everything you asked him to do. Everybody has a ton of respect for DT. Of course, Josh (McDaniels) knew him well and knew him better than anybody in this locker room. We have a lot of people that had relationships with him. They were all positive. I don't think anybody could ever find a bad word to say about him. You think about all that he went through and what he accomplished in his life and what he had to overcome, what a person. He was a great player but a better person."
Thomas, who formally announced his retirement last June, finished his career with 724 receptions for 9,763 yards and 63 touchdowns. He was traded by the Patriots to the New York Jets after the 2019 season opener.
Thomas won Super Bowl 50 while playing for the Denver Broncos, with whom he spent the first eight-plus seasons of his career.
