The Thomas family, from left, Aaron Thomas, Jan Thomas and Todd Thomas accept the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPY Awards on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. -- Former Drake basketball player Aaron Thomas, along with his family, accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award Wednesday night at the annual ESPY's ceremony.
The Ashe award is presented annually to individuals whose contributions transcend the world of sports. The late Ed Thomas' family was honored in front of a live, cable-TV audience.
"It's something you could never imagine until you actually experienced it," said Thomas, whose family accepted the Ashe Award on-stage from NFL star Brett Favre.
As has been well-documented, Ed Thomas was slain 13 months ago by one of his former football players, Mark Becker. ESPN honored Thomas' family due to its capacity to forgive and move on in the face of overwhelming tragedy.
Ed Thomas had coached for 3 1/2 decades in Parkersburg, earned the 2005 NFL High School Coach of the Year award and won 292 high school games. But more important, he also influenced countless student-athletes during his time on the sidelines and in classrooms.
ESPN dedicated nearly 20 minutes of air time to Ed Thomas and his loved ones Wednesday, while Aaron Thomas captivated the crowd with an unwavering address.
"On behalf of our entire family.....we're extremely humbled and honored to be awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage award," said Aaron, who was a four-year letterwinner at guard for Drake from 1997-2001.
"When you look at former winners and the company we’ve joined – from coach (Jim) Valvano, to the Tillman brothers to Nelson Mandela – and to think that our dad and the example he set at doing what’s right has led us into the category.
“We went through many tough times, but we had a great example from my father in how to handle adversity. Everything he did was based off his faith and that is what he led us by. Without that, there is no way we could have gotten through the past two years.
“I view this as kind of the total opposite,” added Aaron, who owns the Drake single-season free throw percentage record (.889) set in 2000-01. “I never once imagined we’d bury my dad (after) being murdered. And I never once imagined we’d be at the ESPYs receiving an award from Brett Favre.”
Thomas' comments came following a video tribute to his father Ed Thomas, showing how he rallied the Parkersburg community after a devastating tornado in 2008.
Aaron concluded his speech sending a challenge to the packed audience at the Nokia Theatre.
"When I look at all the celebrities and stars and the people we see, the impact you can have on young people, the impact you can have on the world just by doing what is right is unbelievable," said Aaron. "That is the legacy we hope to continue by our father to carry forward what we were taught."
