Mother and Grandmother of Demaryius Thomas Will Watch Super Bowl From Prison, Where They're Doing Time for Crack Cocaine

Demaryius Thomas, who is probably one of the five best receivers in the NFL, won’t have his mom or grandmother cheering him on from the stands during the Super Bowl Sunday in New Jersey. They’re both in jail – his mother for at least two more years, and his grandmother is doing a life term. They were nabbed by cops for a crack cocaine operation when Thomas was eleven years old. The details, from Ian O’Connor of ESPN, are harrowing:

"As the cops broke through her door in the early morning hours of March 15, 1999, Smith was jolted from her sleep by what she called “a big boom.” Demaryius and his two sisters were in their bedrooms, and Minnie Pearl said it was “very scary waking up to infrared lights and screaming.” Smith asked the police if she could at least walk her children out to their school bus, free of handcuffs, and the police obliged. She kissed her kids on their foreheads, assured them she loved them, and told them to look out for each other. Smith would reject the prosecution’s offer of a reduced sentence in exchange for her testimony against Minnie Pearl, and ended up with 20 years. “I couldn’t live with myself if I was the reason my mom was in prison,” Smith said. “At the same time I let my kids get raised by someone else. It was a no-win situation for me.”"

That Thomas was able to matriculate to Georgia Tech and go on to be a star in the NFL is incredible. His matchups against Seatte’s Richard Sherman will be some of the best Sunday. Thomas has 16/1 odds to be named MVP, and considering the last 10 MVPs of the Super Bowl have been a QB or WR, you might want to give him some consideration. [via ESPN]