As the Denver Broncos assumed the victory formation and Peyton Manning knelt down to advance to the AFC Championship Game, Demaryius Thomas' mother was on the the team's mind. Katrina Smith, who had been incarcerated since Thomas was 11 years old, was in-person for her first game of DT's career.
Manning made sure to make the event even more memorable.
USA Today confirmed that Thomas did indeed give his mom that game ball and gave more details to their postgame reunion.
Thomas and his mom were swarmed by teammates and their families. Lots of hugs and pictures. She grasped his arm as they left the stadium.
— Lindsay Jones (@bylindsayhjones) January 18, 2016
Great seeing @DemaryiusT mom get a chance to watch him play! Great win! #BroncosCountry #PITvsDEN #AFCChampionship pic.twitter.com/HzQ7SjkBO2
— Marquay Baul (@MarquayBaul) January 18, 2016
"Mom didn’t put any pressure on me," Thomas said after the game. "There wasn’t any pressure that I haven’t had here. I was just excited she was here for her first game. We came out with a win to make it even better."