Spooky @SteveGleason @SHO_Dexter | #SaintsGameday pic.twitter.com/NIj41ka6v6
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 30, 2022
There’s no question who won Halloween this year: it’s Steve Gleason. The legendary former New Orleans Saints special teams ace was a guest on the sidelines at Sunday’s game with the Las Vegas Raiders, and he arrived in costume (as did many fans) to celebrate the holiday. Gleason wore a sheet of plastic wrap around his head with “Dexter” written in red across his forehead, in a startling reference back to the iconic Showtime TV series centering on a serial killer who hunts others like him.
Gleason later joked on Twitter that he wanted to “be an model of sacrifice & commitment to the Saints by holding my breath for the whole game.” It’s an alarming visual, but it was a relatively safe stunt for Gleason. He underwent a tracheotomy during his yearslong battle with ALS to allow him to breathe through an external tube connected to his throat, so he wasn’t in any danger here.
That’s not to say there’s no risk involved (and you definitely shouldn’t try a stunt like this at home), but Gleason himself has often said there’s risk in almost anything for someone in his position. His motto is to “Live impossible” and he’s still embodying it. It’s great to see him and his family catching up with old friends in the Superdome after all these years. That he’s able to joke around and celebrate a Saints victory just makes it a little more rewarding.