Photo Credit: Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports
Today, President Obama announced that he was commuting 46 federal prisoners’ sentences. One of those prisoners happened to be the mother of Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. Thomas’ mother and grandmother are both currently incarcerated for drug trafficking and allegedly running a crack cocaine operation.
They have been behind bars since 2000 with Thomas’ mother, Katrina Stuckey Smith, serving a 24 year sentence that has been reduced so that she would be released in 2017. However, with Obama’s announcement today, she will be able to see her son play football this season as she will be released on November 10th. His grandmother, Minnie Pearl Thomas, however is serving two life sentences as this was considered her third offense. Neither has ever seen Thomas play football in person.
His mother did always watch her son when he was drafted by the Broncos, cheering him on from the Tallahassee prison she currently resides in. Demaryius has spoken about what it’s like to have his mother and grandmother only be able to watch him from prison. “That drives me more, to know that they’re in there and they’re watching me,” Thomas said. “I try to go out and play my best, because I know they’re going to talk about it to all the people in the jailhouse.” He said he speaks to both of them after every game. Now he will finally have one of his biggest fans right there in the stands cheering for him!
