At a recent staff meeting, Westword's esteemed editor suggested that Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan's hair color had changed this season -- and not in a wholly natural way. She felt he looked almost blond, as if he'd taken to tinting his locks. Staffers reacted with hoots of derision. But I've been watching his press conferences more closely since then, and I think she's onto something. So I called Broncos vice president of public relations Jim Saccomano, who promptly shot down the hair-coloring theory -- sort of.
Saccomano says that Shanahan hasn't started dying his hair "to my knowledge... I'm with Mike all the time, and I've not noticed a difference personally." However, he goes on, "I had people at training camp say things about his hair, and I feel like I've kind of noticed, as we stand and watch practice, that maybe he's gotten a little shade of gray that wasn't there before."
More gray makes perfect sense given the past two Broncos victories, both achieved by the sort of luck the defensive squad will need more of as the season continues. Indeed, Saccomano laughingly declares "I agree with that!" after I suggested that all Broncos fans have probably gotten a little grayer in recent weeks.
Still, might Shanahan be covering up his own dusting by chemical means? Only his hairdresser knows for sure. -- Michael Roberts
