[jwplayer MaJSWNah]
Safety Michael Thomas carried the baggage of sorrow throughout his final season with the New York Giants.
In September of 2019, Thomas’ 30-year-old sister, NnZinga, who was three months older than the Pro Bowler, died after her battle with breast cancer.
The journey of personal tragedy came to an end the day before Mother’s Day of this year when Thomas and his family buried his mother, Bernadette, who spent the last years of her life struggling with post stroke symptoms and early Alzheimer’s.
Thomas is closing the book on the tragic last nine months and is writing a new volume in his life, one of celebration as he continues his NFL career with his hometown Houston Texans.
“To actually be here with my family in Houston, I think that’s going to be something that helps the healing process and I’m going to dedicate this season to them,” Thomas said. “Everything that I can do to help my family cope with it, and I know by playing in Houston that’s going to bring them joy just to be around me and everything. I’m going to use this season to uplift my family.”
The 30-year-old Nimitz High School product, not even with his Stanford education, can articulate the fulfillment of dreams it is to play for the Texans.
“I never even thought that this would be a dream come true for me until I actually signed,” said Thomas. “Just seeing all the love and appreciation I got from my family, friends I grew up with, people who have known me from just following my career from when I was playing at Nimitz.
“It was overwhelming, and then it hit me: ‘Wait. I’m really going to get a chance to play for the hometown team.’ I’m really going to get a chance to help this team win.”
The Houston Oilers moved in 1997 when Thomas was seven years old. The Texans did not restore Houston as an NFL city until 2002. By the time the Texans won their first playoff game, Thomas was graduating from Stanford with a sociology degree. Even over a thousand miles away on the West Coast, Thomas still recalled how much the Texans mean to Houston.
“I’m super excited for it, try to bring wins to this town,” said Thomas. “I know how much the Texans means to the city of Houston, the culture that we have here. Everybody is ride or die for them.”
Helping the Texans get into the NFL’s final four or further, while dedicating the entire season to his fallen loved ones, would be a memorable 2020 for Thomas.