nor will he play in a bowl game or the Pac-12 championship game, should the Utes get there.
His aunt died days before the Utes hosted San Diego State on Sept. 17. Thomas took that especially hard given his aunt raised him, his two siblings and, as Thomas later noted, a total of 13 children in his native Dayton, Ohio. What exactly transpired between his aunt’s death, the quick trip to Dayton, and the Arizona State game remains unclear.but finished with team-highs of 11 carries for 60 yards anyway. Whittingham did not spell out that Thomas was suspended for the first half, but he certainly indicated it.
on Oct. 15, ESPN 700 reported that Thomas had taken his pads off and left the game early. Video evidence later emerged, showing Thomas with his jersey on but shoulder pads off, running off the field by himself as the celebrations began on the field.once in his postgame news conference and again on the ESPN 700 postgame show.Thomas did not travel to Washington State on Oct. 27, but 22 carries for 180 yards and two touchdowns against Stanford on Nov.