- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Denver and help keep the future of Westword free.
Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas came up with a Halloween costume sure to amuse NFL fans: He dressed as a replacement referee, complete with giant glasses to convey how unlikely it is that he'd make the right call; see a large version of the photo below. But will Thomas, whose performance in Denver's dismantling of New Orleans on Sunday reflects a steady improvement in his play, don this outfit tonight? Signs point to "no."
Why not? Because, as Yahoo! Sports reports, Thomas deleted the snap shortly after posting it on his Twitter feed -- an account that's currently dominated by declarations of faith. One image reads, "I am covered by the blood of Jesus," and there's also a retweet of a Biblical passage (Psalm 73:25-26) from former teammate Tim Tebow.
Fortunately, Peter Burns of Mile High Sports Radio shared the shot before it disappeared, so we can all enjoy it. Here it is:
As for why Thomas removed the image, we're left to speculate. Best guess: Someone on his management team suggested that it's risky for a pro footballer to be seen as making fun of a referee, since current crews might interpret the costume as ridiculing the profession as a whole, not just the out-of-their-depth guys who filled in during the early part of the season amid a labor dispute. Worse, he could get crosswise with the league, which issued an edict during the lockout of the regular refs not to criticize the fill-ins and is still prickly on the embarrassing subject.
Which is too bad, since it's a genius costume. In our opinion, Demaryius, you definitely don't deserve a yellow flag.
More from our Sports archive: "Peyton Manning exorcises Tim Tebow once and for all in Saints blow-out."
Keep Westword Free... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Denver with no paywalls.
