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Chiefs Grieve for Fallen Teammate
Feb. 8, 2000
Chiefs players learned of Derrick Thomas' death in the same manner most of America heard about it on Tuesday morning.
A news bulletin on television or radio. A phone call from a friend or teammate.
The reaction was universal. Shock. Disbelief. Anger.
"Derrick Thomas was like family," free safety Jerome Woods said from his off-season home in Memphis. "It seems like one of your own family members passed away. When I heard about it, it brought tears to my eyes. I was hurting."
"I had an image of him in my head of him in the locker room, just smiling, being D.T. in the locker room every day."
Woods and Thomas shared a common bond with the Chiefs -- both were No. 1 draft picks, Thomas in 1989 and Woods in 1996.
"When I first got drafted by the Chiefs, and knowing I'm going to go play with one of the NFL greats in Derrick Thomas, I remember I wanted to introduce myself, but I said, `Nah,' " Woods said.
"Then he came over, and said, `Hey, Rook, I was drafted in the same position,' and it made me feel more at home and everything. Ever since then, I look at D.T. like a family member."
Thomas was just as gracious to undrafted free agents such as defensive end Eric Hicks, who spent a day visiting Thomas in Miami, where Thomas was hospitalized after the horrific car accident of Jan. 23 left him paralyzed from the chest down.
"Derrick was Derrick when I saw him," Hicks said. "He was all smiles, just reminiscing about old times. He didn't discuss anything that had happened to him. I knew he would be all right, and I'm sure he appreciated all the help and support he was getting from Kansas City."
Hicks, who will be in his third season with the Chiefs, said he was indebted to Thomas for "all the things he helped me out with. How to be a better player, a better person, how to survive in the NFL."
Hicks plans on repaying Thomas next season.
"I know every time I come around the corner next year, he'll be smiling down upon me, and hopefully he'll give me a little extra push," said Hicks, who returned a fumble 44 yards for a touchdown last season after Thomas sacked Minnesota's Jeff George.
Chiefs quarterback Elvis Grbac was as impressed with Thomas' altruism as he was his athletic ability.
"The first year I got to Kansas City, Derrick told me about the Thanksgiving baskets," Grbac said of Thomas' food drive for the needy. "I had never been around a star player who actually handed out the baskets himself. He was one of those guys who gave back to the community.
"Of all the guys on the team, I think (coach) Gunther Cunningham will have the most difficult time with this. Gun and Derrick were very close. I've never really, really lost a friend or a close person to me....This will take time to heal."
Offensive tackle Glenn Parker knew Thomas as a teammate for three years and as an opponent for seven years when Parker was with Buffalo.
"I think around the nation and in Kansas City, he was Mr. Kansas City as far as the Chiefs were concerned," Parker said. "I just got back from a trip where we drove to Florida, and to Maine and Boston, and no matter where we were, people asked about Derrick Thomas. All over the country, people wanted to know about him.
"There will be a hole on that roster where he would have been."
Former Chiefs were affected by the news as well.
"He's touched so many people's lives in such a short period of time," said Pellom McDaniels, now with the Atlanta Falcons. "I don't know if it would be right to ask him for more because he's done so much."
The news spoiled former safety Deron Cherry's vacation in Hawaii.
"It's a shocking day for all of us who have been associated with Derrick," Cherry said. "I still don't believe it. It seemed like he was coming along so well, and all of a sudden, out of the clear blue, he dies.
"People will remember Derrick for his ability to overcome adversity, his ability to think of others first before himself, and his undying commitment to make life better for those who are less fortunate. What he's done on the football field has been great; what he has been able to do off the field to help change the lives of others, to me, has more impact."
from kc star
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