Ex-Broncos Great Demaryius Thomas Busted for Vehicular Assault

Demaryius Thomas, one of the best-ever receivers for the Denver Broncos, has been arrested for vehicular assault and two other charges related to a wild crash earlier this month during which he and his two passengers were injured.

The last few months were tough for Thomas even before his brush with the law. In October, the Broncos traded him to the Houston Texans, and while he turned in solid play for the squad, he was placed on injured reserve in December after tearing his Achilles. The Texans released him earlier this month.

The probable-cause statement in Thomas's name offers a vivid description of the accident, which took place on the 1200 block of Auraria Parkway just after midnight on Saturday, February 16.

Thomas is said to have been driving on Auraria in a silver Ford Edge with Georgia plates at a very rapid clip. The speed limit for the stretch of the parkway in question is 30 miles per hour, but investigators believe he was going over 70.

The Auraria lanes between 12th Street and Speer are separated by a median festooned with trees, and according to the PC statement, Thomas drove over it and became airborne, passing over the southbound lanes and tumbling end-over-end into a grassy area to the east before the Edge wound up on its wheels again. No other cars were involved.

The three occupants of the vehicle were all hurt badly enough to require hospitalization, with one of the injuries deemed serious.

Thomas turned himself in to Denver police yesterday, February 27, on suspicion of vehicular assault, a Class 5 felony, and two misdemeanors, driving without proof of insurance and reckless driving.

At his age (he's 31), Thomas was already facing an uphill struggle in terms of staying in the NFL given the difficulty of coming back from an Achilles tear. Such an effort just became that much more difficult.