Grant Thornham, 10, tells and Kubiak what happened.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala)
A wide smile stretched across Grant Thornham’s face as he raised his right arm and told the story. It was a Friday morning, he began, and he was with his fellow campers sitting on the grassy berm alongside the Broncos’ practice fields for the second day of training camp.
“So, Brandon (McManus) was kicking field goals into the stands, so you had to throw them back,” Thornham, 10, continued. “And so me and my friends were at the very end and we went up to there because we wanted to touch a ball. I think I wanted to catch it, but one came toward me and I didn’t have two hands out. I just deflected it with my right hand and it bent it back I guess.”
It did more than that. A doctor’s visit Saturday morning confirmed he fractured his wrist and needed a hard cast. An orange one, at his request.
“And there’s blue under it,” he said. “I got the last one!”
Thornham’s father, Patrick, emailed the Broncos, who invited them both to watch Sunday’s workout from the sideline before meeting coach Gary Kubiak and, of course, McManus.
The unfortunate circumstance turned into an unforgettable moment for the young fan.
“If I’m gonna break it,” he said, “this is the way to do it.”
Sure hope it heals quickly. It was nice meeting you Grant
— Brandon McManus (@thekidmcmanus)
