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Peyton Manning has just announced the creation of a scholarship in memory of late teammate, Demaryius Thomas. The Demaryius A. Thomas Scholarship was endowed to Georgia Tech by Manning and his wife Ashley through the Peyback Foundation. According to Georgia Tech, Thomas was one of the greatest wide receivers in Georgia Tech history.
Though Manning and Thomas were teammates for many years, Manning considered him a friend above all else.
“Demaryius Thomas was an incredibly talented and unselfish teammate, but more importantly, he was a special person and friend,” Manning told reporters at Georgia Tech. “My family and I miss him dearly, and we wanted to honor D.T.’s memory by partnering the PeyBack Foundation with Georgia Tech to establish the Demaryius A. Thomas Scholarship Endowment."
Georgia Tech noted that the scholarship will aid incoming freshman from Thomas' home town of Laurens County, and will follow the recipients throughout their entire degree.
Todd Standsbury, the athletic director at Georgia Tech, expressed the schools' gratitude for the scholarship:
“We are grateful to Peyton and Ashley Manning and the PeyBack Foundation for establishing the Demaryius Thomas Scholarship. Thanks to their generous contribution, Demaryius’ legacy will be carried on through Georgia Tech students from Laurens County and surrounding areas for years to come and his memory will be celebrated each year during our 8/8 Day recognitions.”