Dez Bryant reacts to new details on Demaryius Thomas’ death
Nov 8, 2020; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Dez Bryant (88) reacts before a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Former NFL wide receiver Dez Bryant had a strong reaction Tuesday to new details surrounding the December death of Demaryius Thomas.
It was announced Tuesday that Thomas, who died at 33, was posthumously diagnosed with Stage 2 CTE at the time of his death. The official cause of his death is yet to be determined.
Bryant, who has been outspoken about the health and well-being of retired NFL players in the past, shared his feelings on the diagnosis.
“DT88 my heart weak bro…,” Bryant wrote on Twitter. “It’s a lot of us living with CTE and the NFL know it…most importantly the Athletes who have those symptoms are scared to speak…1 thing about me ain’t living no false life…my love and support for athletes are on a much deeper level than most…”
DT88 my heart weak bro… it’s a lot of us living with CTE and the NFL know it…most importantly the Athletes who have those symptoms are scared to speak… 1 thing about me ain’t living no false life…my love and support for athletes are on a much deeper level than most… pic.twitter.com/NGleINSvGw
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) July 5, 2022
Bryant also reaffirmed his commitment to helping former athletes, saying that “nobody is going to truly help us but us.”
I want a deeper connection with the Athlete not the alter ego I ask a lot of you to drop the mask so we can have a real convo
Nobody is going to truly help us but us.. everything I do is for the Athlete and a lot of you know that… we can put people in place to help us
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) July 5, 2022
In December, a first cousin of Thomas said that Thomas’ family believed that a seizure had been the cause of Thomas’ death. Thomas tried many different treatments to help combat the seizures he had been dealing with since he was involved in a car accident in 2019, but nothing seemed to work.
Bryant expressed similar sentiments after the death of former Dallas Cowboys teammate Marion Barber in June. Bryant had shown concern over Barber’s condition last July.