When Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas takes the field for Sunday afternoon’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he might have his biggest fan in the stands.
Until recently Thomas’ mom, Katina Smith, had been in jail or a halfway house in relation to a 20-year sentence for drug trafficking. She was arrested in 1999, when Thomas was 11 years old, and has never seen her son play a football game in person. But President Barack Obama recently commuted her prison sentence, and Thomas told USA Today that a ban restricting his mother’s ability to travel was recently lifted.
Thomas is working on the logistics of getting his mom to Denver for Sunday’s game, but that should not be a big hurdle. He is surely excited about the possibility of having his mom in the stands, and he knows it would be important to her as well.
“I know she’d be excited. It’d mean a lot for her to see my first game live,” Thomas said Wednesday.
If the Broncos advance to the AFC Championship Game with a win on Sunday, Thomas will surely be a big factor. If he needs any extra motivation, having his mom in the stadium could provide it.
