14 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 9, 2000 Denick Thomas dead at age 33 Pete Rose left out of*" '75 Series celebration MIAMI (AP)- Derrick Thomas, one of the most feared defenders in the NFL and a nine-time Pro Bowl player, died yesterday, less than a month after being paralyzed in a car crash on an icy road. He was 33. Thomas was being transferred from his hospital bed to a wheelchair on his way to therapy when he uttered some- thing to his mother and his eyes rolled back, said Dr. Frank Eismont, a neuro- surgeon at Jackson Memorial Hospital. "We-were hoping that Derrick's story would have been a happier ending," he said. "This is very much unexpected" The Kansas City Chiefs linebacker, who held the NFL record of seven sacks in a game, went into cardio-respiratory arrest, he said. 'Doctors have not determined an exact cause of death and might perform an autopsy. One of Thomas' doctors, Dr. arth'Green, said a massive blood clot probably killed Thomas. "This is a total shock," Green said. "Derrick was an extraordinary person and was breaking all the records while he was here." A shaken Chiefs coach Gunther Cunningham recalled telephoning Thomas at the Miami hospital from the Pro Bowl on Sunday in Hawaii; after seeing players and fans honoring Thomas by wearing his number. Thomas had' not been selected for this year's game. "Derrick said, 'Coach, be strong' He never told me how strong I needed to be," Cunningham said. After a game, Thomas would always walk across the field "with a smile on his face," the coach said. "Not because the Chiefs won, but because that's the way he was. And that's the way I'll always remember him." Flags were lowered to half staff at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, and the Missouri Legislature paused for a moment of silence after Thomas' death was announced by state Sen. Bill Kenney, a former Chiefs quarterback. "Derrick Thomas was a true hero," said Kenney, who urged lawmakers to support a bill for spinal cord research in Missouri. Thomas was driving a car during a snowstorm on Jan. 23 as he and two friends headed to the Kansas City airport to fly to St. Louis for the NFC Championship game. He lost control of the car and it overturned at least three times, police said, Police said Thomas was speeding and weaving in traffic, but prosecutor Don Norris said there wasn't enough evi- dence to file charges. Thomas and passenger Michael Tellis, were not wearing seat belts and were thrown from the car. Tellis was killed and Thomas' spine and neck were broken. The third person in the car, who was wearing his seat belt, sustained only minor injuries. Thomas was brought to the hospital in Miami, his hometown, where doctors stabilized his spinal column with screws, rods and hooks and1 grafted bone from his hip. Though he was paralyzed from the chest down, doctors had hoped he would walk again. AP PHOTO Derrick Thomas was an AlIPro in his first nine seasons and ranks ninth in all-time sacks. CINCINNATI (AP) - Pete Rose played on the Cincinnati Reds' 1975 World Series championship team, but he cannot participate in the Reds' 25- year remembrance of that team this season, baseball commissioner Bud Selig said. Rose's appearance with other mem- bers of baseball's All-Century team during the World Series in October 1999 raised hopes that he might be allowed to appear at Cinergy Field on June 3 with other members of the 1975 Reds team that beat the Boston Red Sox in the Series. But he cannot, Selig said Monday. "Obviously, this is a very sensitive subject, and a very misunderstood one," Selig told The Ci'ncinnati Enquirer. "But as things stand, there's been no change. "I did make an exception for the all-century team because fans were voting and I didn't want to do any- thing to stop that. But we said it was a one-time thing," Selig said. Rose was voted the most valuable player in Cincinnati's 1975 defeat of Boston, four games to three. He was given a lifetime ban from baseball in 1989 because of gambling. He has asked baseball to consider lifting that ban. The Reds plan to observe the 25th anniversary of their 1975 champi- onship on June 3, prior to a night interleague game against the Minnesota Twins. If Rose - a Cincinnati native who now lives in south Florida - wants to attend, his option would be to sit in the Cinergy Field stands with other fans. Rose was not available yesterday at his Boca Raton, Fla., restaurant when called for a response. Warren Gree* a Rose spokesman in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., did not return a call to his office. John Allen, the Reds' chief operat- ing officer, said he hopes that Rose's absence from the June ceremony does not overshadow the presence of the 1975 team members who do partici- pate. "We're going to abide by major league baseball's rules," Allen said. "I know it's a sensitive issue, and I kno* that there are pro-Pete Rose fans out there. In Cincinnati, there are a lot more because he's a real hometown hero. "But we didn't suspend him, and we can't unsuspend him," Allen said. Selig said his office had received sonic informal inquiries from the Reds about Rose and the June cere- mony. Rose left Cincinnati fc Philadelphia after the 1978 season and helped the Phillies win the 1980 World Series. The Phillies plan to honor that team June 15-17 at Veterans Stadium. "Sometime, we will approach the commissioner's office," Phillies spokesman Larry Shenk said. "But it's on the back burner right now. Pete wasn't permitted (to partic- ipate) in 1990 when we had the 1 year reunion. I guess he can buy V ticket." Jackson Memorial is the home of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, the world's largest spinal cord injury research center, and its surgeons have operated on injured athletes before, including race car driver Emerson Fittipaldi. An All-American at Alabama, the 6- foot-3, 255-pound Thomas became an immediate star as a pass-rushing special- ist after being taken in the first round of the 1989 draft. With one of the quickest first moves of any defender in the league, Thomas became known for his "sack and strip" move, where he closed fast on a quarter- back's blind side and hacked at his arm to knock the ball out of his hand. He set the single-game sack record in 1990 in a game against Seattle. That game was the same week as Veterans Day and Thomas dedicated his perfor- mance to his father, an Air Force pilot killed in Vietnam. Thomas also made headlines in 1998 when he lost his temper during a Monday night game against Denver and committed three personal foul penalties in the Broncos' final touchdown drive. He was fined and suspended for one game and apologized to the Broncos and his fans. Former Kansas City Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer visited his former player on Monday "and he was doing quite well. 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