Demaryius Thomas' Grandmother's Drug Sentence Commuted by President Obama

Minnie Pearl Thomas, the grandmother of Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, had a drug sentence commuted Wednesday by President Barack Obama. 

Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post reported the news, and Mark Haas of CBS Denver provided further details about the decision, including the expected release date of December 1.

The Associated Press reported that President Obama shortened a total of 214 federal prisoners' sentences Wednesday, the largest single-day total in over 100 years.

Troy Renck of Denver7 provided reaction from the Broncos wide receiver, who called the news of his grandmother's upcoming release a "blessing."

Thomas took to Twitter to express more thoughts:

It's the second time in as many years that one of Obama's commutations has impacted Thomas' family. The receiver's mother, Katina Smith, had her drug sentence commuted in July 2015, and she was released in time to watch her son win Super Bowl 50.

Smith turned her attention to getting her mother released as well. Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post reported on her efforts to lessen the life sentence that Minnie Thomas, a three-time drug offender, received, including her post on Change.org: "My mom and I made mistakes by getting involved with drugs. We regret it and have each paid dearly for it. But neither of us deserved the long sentences we received."

CBS Denver noted that Demaryius Thomas was just 11 when his mother and his grandmother were arrested in Montrose, Georgia, in 1999.

In 2012, he told Jeff Darlington of NFL.com he nearly quit football before his rise to NFL stardom because of consistent health issues, but he kept playing for his family: "I thought about quitting football after I had those injuries. But I told [my mother and grandmother] I wouldn't quit something I started. That's part of the reason I wrote their names on my arm. I wanted to remember to never quit."

Now he's one of the league's most dynamic receivers and less than four months away from a family reunion nearly two decades in the making.