Maker Of Custom Broncos Jerseys Brought To Tears Over No. 88

After years behind bars, the mother of Demaryius Thomas finally got to see her son play in person last Sunday.

The 2012 NFL Draft could not come soon enough for Broncos fans, especially since it gave many a chance to get their hands on the new Nike replica jerseys, especially those Peyton Manning jerseys.

They went on sale at 6 a.m. Thursday and Devin Keyes was at the head of the line. He showed up to the Broncos team store at Sports Authority Field at Mile High at 3:45 a.m.

Turns out, it wasn’t a Manning jersey he was even after.

One Denver woman put some extra sparkle into the special day.

Michelle Martinez, owner of Bellalicious Beauty, has been making custom jerseys for 10 years. She painstakingly adorns each jersey by hand with Swarovski crystals, and other special touches.

Her labor of love was no less meticulous for the jersey that Thomas asked her to make for his mom.

“As a mother, knowing that I get to watch my child play for the very first time, it just meant everything to me that he trusted me,” said Martinez.

Martinez spent a month making sure Smith’s jersey was perfect for game day. For the first time since her incarceration when Thomas was just 11 years old, the proud mother got to attend her son’s game in person.

“I was just excited,” said Demaryius Thomas in a postgame interview. “She’s here for the game, and we came out with the win to make it even better.”

In the stadium, Smith could be seen wearing the custom jersey made by Martinez, which reads, “Bay Bay’s Mama.”

“I cried making it. I cried wrapping the present. I cried watching her open it,” said Martinez. “It was a very, very emotional time for me just because it meant so much to her and to him and to me to just be part of that.”

The New England Patriots want nothing to do with Aaron Hernandez — and it appears neither do Pats fans.

The Patriots held a Hernandez jersey exchange at Gillette Stadium over the weekend — giving fans the chance to trade in their #81 and #85 jerseys.

Pats fans turned out in droves and exchanged more than 1,200 shirts bearing the Hernandez name for jerseys with Wilfork, Brady, Jones and Ridley on the back.