ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Thurman Thomas recalled a phone call he received a couple weeks ago from former Buffalo Bills teammate Bruce Smith.
"Do yo know what it means to have your jersey retired?" Smith asked Thomas. "Do you realize the importance?"
"I do now," Thomas told to a sold-out crowd at New Era Field on Monday night. "Now that I'm here with you, I realize it even more."
The Bills retired Thomas' No. 34 during a ceremony at halftime of Buffalo's game against the New England Patriots. He is the third player in Bills history to receive the honor.