Georgia Tech great Demaryius Thomas is getting his family back together. Thomas’ grandmother had her lifetime prison sentence commuted by President Obama on Wednesday, less than a year after Obama commuted the sentence of Thomas’ mother, Katrina Stuckey Smith.
Thomas’ grandmother, Minnie Thomas, is in federal prison in Tallahassee, Fla., and is scheduled to be released Dec. 1. The Denver Broncos wide receiver celebrated in the midst of the team’s training camp.
"Wanna Thank the @POTUS for everything he's done for my family," Demaryius Thomas wrote from his Twitter account Wednesday, "and a lot more families giving them second chances. Couldn't be a better day."
Thomas’ mother and grandmother were arrested in 1999, when Thomas was 11, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine. Thomas’ mother was sentenced to 20 years before being released last November after serving 15 years. Her sentence could have been reduced had she testified against her mother, but she refused to do so.
Thomas’ mother watched her son play in person for the first time in her life last season, including the Broncos’ Super Bowl championship last February. It was during the Broncos’ visit to the White House in June that Thomas thanked Obama for commuting her mother’s sentence and spoke with him about his grandmother.
"I just found out right when I came in from weights," Demaryius Thomas told reporters Wednesday. "I had no idea. I was surprised. I was excited, too, it came this early. I heard 200-plus people get to have a second chance, and for my grandmother to be one of them, it's a blessing."
Minnie Thomas was one of 214 inmates to have their sentences commuted Wednesday. Most were for nonviolent drug offenses. Thomas’ mother and grandmother were running a cocaine ring from their home in Montrose in central Georgia.
About the Author
