Peyton Manning Announces New Scholarship Honoring Demaryius Thomas

On Wednesday night Peyton Manning announced a new scholarship honoring his former Broncos teammate Demaryius Thomas.  Thomas died late in 2021 at the age of 33.

Manning announced the "18 to 88" scholarship grant in honor of Thomas while speaking at the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame banquet.  The $10,000 scholarship grant will be awarded to a Denver area high school senior athlete who has overcome some kind of adversity.

From Denver Broncos:

"I'm incredibly proud, along with our PeyBack Foundation to partner with the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame to create the '18 to 88' scholarship grant to honor the life and legacy of my friend Demaryius Thomas," Manning said Wednesday. "… D.T. was a special teammate and special person. On the field, he was the most unselfish person and teammate I ever played with. He always put the team before himself. He also was a great, great man off the field. He was a hero to my kids like he was to so many others, and he made a tremendous impact on this community. None of what Demaryius Thomas accomplished in his life — all-conference wide receiver at Georgia Tech, first-round NFL Draft pick, five-time Pro Bowler, NFL champion — came easily. He overcame great adversity throughout his childhood and grew up to become a role model for others. It's only fitting that this '18 to 88' scholarship will identify and reward annually a Denver high school athlete who, like Demaryius, has overcome adversity to accomplish their goals."

Manning recently endowed a scholarship at Georgia Tech to benefit students from Thomas' hometown, but he wanted to also recognize his former teammate's impact in Colorado.

"I wanted to do something for him in Denver where he made his mark as an NFL player and had such a big impact on this community," Manning said. "… [We're] trying to keep Demaryius' legacy alive, but also paying it forward, which is what he was all about."

1️⃣8️⃣ x 8️⃣8️⃣

Peyton Manning announced an additional scholarship in D.T.’s honor for Denver-area youths tonight at the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. 👏 pic.twitter.com/AgczzrS4De

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) May 5, 2022

This is a great move by Peyton and a great way to honor his friend and teammate.  RIP DT!