Ex-Tech Star Thanks Obama For Pardoning His Mom

Demaryius Thomas, a former standout wide receiver from Georgia Tech who recently won Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos, thanked President Barack Obama on Monday for pardoning his mother.

He also asked the president to look into the case of his grandmother, who's still in jail.

The Broncos were visiting the White House when Thomas got a chance to briefly speak with the president.

Katina Smith was one of 46 nonviolent drug offenders who were pardoned last year by the president, who said at the time that their sentences served were disproportionate to their crimes. Smith, according to the Washington Post, was the banker in a drug operation that sent her to jail for 20 years. Smith's mother -- Thomas' grandmother -- is serving a life sentence for her role in the operation.

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Obama's 376 combined pardons and commutations put him ahead of just two of the five previous presidents, including George H.W. Bush who served only one term.

Thomas played for Tech for three years, where he led the team in receiving each of those seasons. The Broncos drafted him in the first round in the 2010 NFL draft.