by Bo Marchionte
@bomarchionte | College2Pro.com
Published October 29, 2026, 10:19 AM
From Michael Myers to Tinky Winky: Halloween Unmasks the Steelers
Forget the Terrible Towel. Somewhere in Pittsburgh, there’s a linebacker with a purple Teletubby costume, a quarterback channeling Winnie the Pooh’s depressed donkey and a defensive back who once terrorized his neighborhood dressed as a banana.
Welcome to Halloween, Steelers style.
For a few glorious minutes inside the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room, football took a backseat to something far more important: Michael Myers, childhood costumes, terrifying movies and the occasional admission that grown men who tackle people for a living are absolutely terrified of things that go bump in the night.
The results were magnificent.
Some players embrace the darkness. Others prefer their monsters animated, their costumes inexpensive and their heart rates comfortably below cardiac arrest.
And then there’s Sebastian Castro.
We’ll get to the banana.
PLEASE LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON
Jaylen Warren | Running Back | Hereditary
Jaylen Warren doesn’t want some knife-wielding maniac chasing teenagers through a suburban neighborhood.
He wants something considerably more disturbing.
The Steelers running back named Hereditary as his favorite scary movie, a 2018 psychological horror film that makes your average slasher flick look like a Saturday morning cartoon.
“That’s like the scariest one I’ve seen,” Warren said.
His reasoning was even better.
“I like movies like that,” Warren explained, suggesting the supernatural elements are frightening because they feel like something that could actually happen.
As for Freddy Krueger and his theatrical brand of nightmare management?
Warren isn’t interested.
Apparently, a supernatural family nightmare is perfectly acceptable entertainment, but a burned-up lunatic wearing a glove full of knives is where he draws the line.
And Warren’s childhood costume?
A football player.
Every year.
Some kids dream of becoming superheroes. Warren apparently skipped the middleman.
Brandon Smith | Wide Receiver | Insidious
Warren has company in the supernatural department.
Wide receiver Brandon Smith gravitates toward the Insidious franchise, where haunted houses, creepy spirits and deeply unfortunate family circumstances provide the entertainment.
No hockey masks required.
Smith’s childhood alter ego, however, was considerably more heroic.
Spider-Man.
While Warren was busy dressing for the career he’d eventually have, Smith was climbing imaginary buildings and presumably saving the neighborhood from evil.
One future Steeler wore shoulder pads. The other preferred web shooters.
Both eventually ended up in Pittsburgh.
Mason Rudolph | Quarterback | Halloween, When a Stranger Calls and The Exorcist
Mason Rudolph has clearly spent some quality time in the horror aisle.
The Steelers quarterback rattled off the Halloween movies, When a Stranger Calls and The Exorcist.
That last one left a mark.
Rudolph recalled watching the demonic classic during a sleepover, when having a roomful of friends made the experience slightly more tolerable.
“The Exorcist was scarring,” he admitted.
His advice?
“Don’t recommend it.”
Fair enough. Nothing ruins a perfectly good sleepover like discovering the devil has better special effects than your imagination can handle.
Rudolph’s costume history was considerably less sinister.
GI Joe. Army man. And, on one memorable occasion, Achilles from Troy.
The inspiration was obvious.
“Just trying to channel some Brad Pitt energy minus the body,” Rudolph joked.
An NFL quarterback admitting he couldn’t quite match Brad Pitt’s physique?
That’s the kind of self-awareness Hollywood could use more of.
THE MICHAEL MYERS FAN CLUB
Lew Nichols | Running Back | Halloween II
Some players appreciate subtle psychological terror.
Lew Nichols prefers the classics.
Give him Michael Myers, a kitchen knife and the unmistakable soundtrack that has frightened generations of moviegoers.
Nichols immediately identified Halloween II as a favorite before mentioning his appreciation for the 2018 installment.
“I like the one that came out once in 2018 when I was like high school,” Nichols said.
His childhood Halloween wardrobe was considerably more colorful.
Mortal Kombat.
Specifically, Sub-Zero and Scorpion, the legendary video game ninjas whose primary hobbies involve fighting, freezing opponents and occasionally removing someone’s spine.
Nichols wasn’t interested in being a friendly neighborhood pumpkin.
He wanted to finish him.
Sebastian Castro | Defensive Back | War of the Worlds
Castro appreciates Halloween and The Conjuring, but his most memorable cinematic nightmare came courtesy of something that wasn’t technically a traditional horror movie.
War of the Worlds.
The alien-invasion thriller, particularly its enormous machines and horrifying sirens, absolutely wrecked his childhood peace of mind.
“I was terrified. I was traumatized,” Castro recalled.
He estimated he was around six years old when the film left its impression.
And while other kids were recovering from monsters under their beds, Castro eventually discovered a more unusual form of Halloween expression.
A banana costume.
Yes. A banana.
Not Batman. Not Dracula. Not some terrifying creature crawling out of a graveyard.
A banana.
Castro connected the outfit to the Harlem Shake craze and admitted the randomness fit his personality.
“I’m random sometimes. I’m goofy personality sometimes,” he explained.
There is something wonderfully refreshing about a professional football player who can discuss childhood cinematic trauma and then casually reveal that his favorite costume involved dressing as produce.
Somewhere, a fruit bowl is missing its starting safety.
TOUGH ENOUGH FOR FOOTBALL, NOT FOR HORROR
Robert Spears-Jennings | Safety | Monster House
Robert Spears-Jennings has no interest in spending his free time watching a masked murderer stalk innocent people.
His Halloween movie of choice?
Monster House.
The animated 2006 film offers just enough spooky atmosphere without requiring viewers to sleep with the television on.
“I ain’t really into big like real life scary stuff,” Spears-Jennings admitted.
Michael Myers?
Absolutely not.
“That’s just a killer walking around with music.”
And don’t even think about recommending something inspired by actual events.
“Don’t let someone say it based off true story. I’m definitely not watching it.”
That’s a pretty reasonable policy.
Spears-Jennings also revealed that his mother wasn’t particularly interested in financing an elaborate Halloween wardrobe.
His costume was frequently something already hanging around the house.
His football uniform.
“Just go grab that uniform that you already wore,” he recalled his mother telling him.
He did, however, manage to break free from the equipment room long enough to dress as a ninja.
Considering his current profession, the football costume turned out to be excellent foreshadowing.
Riley Nowakowski | Tight End | Absolutely Not
Riley Nowakowski didn’t need much time to consider his favorite scary movie.
He doesn’t have one.
He hates them.
“I can’t sleep. I can’t sleep,” Nowakowski admitted.
Imagine being a defensive player preparing to tackle a charging tight end, unaware that the same guy might spend the following night losing sleep over a fictional ghost.
Nowakowski’s favorite costume, however, was outstanding.
Raphael from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Not Leonardo, the responsible leader.
Not Donatello, the intellectual.
Raphael.
The angry one.
Nowakowski suggested the choice reflected his childhood personality.
“Wasn’t the most peaceful,” he said.
A tight end with a little Raphael attitude?
Somewhere, a linebacker just developed a headache.
Carson Bruener | Linebacker | Comedy Over Carnage
Carson Bruener might have delivered the most practical movie review of the entire locker room.
Why voluntarily sit through two hours of anxiety when you could simply laugh?
The linebacker isn’t a fan of horror films, particularly their predictable jump scares and relentless anticipation.
“I prefer a good comedy,” Bruener said.
His argument was surprisingly convincing.
With horror, you’re waiting for something awful to happen. With comedy, you’re comfortable, entertained and enjoying yourself.
“Your heart rate’s not going through the wall,” he explained.
Hard to argue with that logic.
Especially when the man delivering it once dressed as Tinky Winky.
Yes, Tinky Winky.
The purple Teletubby.
Bruener and his elementary school friends coordinated costumes, each selecting a different member of the colorful television quartet.
“I was the purple Teletubbie,” Bruener recalled.
Imagine the future NFL linebacker wandering around the neighborhood with his buddies dressed as characters from a children’s television show.
Forget the Steel Curtain.
This was the Teletubby Defense.
THE COSTUME HALL OF FAME: DONKEYS, DOCTORS AND THE JOKER
Will Howard | Quarterback | Friday the 13th
Will Howard’s Halloween movie preferences have evolved with his relationship.
The quarterback appreciates family-friendly classics such as Halloweentown, but his girlfriend is apparently a serious horror enthusiast.
That influence has pushed him toward more frightening material.
His selection?
Friday the 13th.
Jason Voorhees, meet Will Howard.
But Howard’s most memorable Halloween revelation had absolutely nothing to do with hockey masks or murderous summer camps.
It involved Eeyore.
The perpetually gloomy donkey from Winnie the Pooh.
“When I was young, I obsessed about Winnie the Pooh, and particulary Eeyore,” Howard said.
Howard was obsessed with the character as a youngster, repeatedly wearing an Eeyore costume while occasionally rotating in a cow outfit.
“I think I was him like two or three years,” Howard recalled.
And here’s where the story gets even better.
Howard said he planned to bring Eeyore out of retirement for a team visit with children at a hospital.
A professional quarterback revisiting his childhood costume to brighten somebody else’s day?
That’s better than anything Hollywood could manufacture.
Sometimes the biggest Halloween treat doesn’t come wrapped in chocolate.
Sometimes it walks into a hospital wearing donkey ears.
Germie Bernard | Wide Receiver | Scary Movie
Germie Bernard took a slightly different approach to the scary-movie question.
His favorite?
Scary Movie.
The horror-comedy franchise that turns cinematic nightmares into punchlines.
Bernard’s childhood costume, however, belonged to a considerably darker universe.
A zombie doctor.
His aunt had recently sent him an old photograph of the outfit, complete with exposed ribs and other appropriately gruesome details.
“I was in my little zombie costume. It was pretty dope,” Bernard recalled.
He was particularly impressed with the skeletal effect.
“I was like a doctor, but a zombie.”
There’s something wonderfully innocent about a young NFL receiver remembering a childhood costume with the same enthusiasm most players reserve for a touchdown.
Somewhere in the family archives, there’s photographic evidence that Bernard once practiced medicine while technically deceased.
Rico Dowdle | Running Back | The Joker
Rico Dowdle isn’t particularly interested in horror movies.
He’s watched a few, but the genre doesn’t exactly dominate his television schedule.
Costumes are another matter.
Dowdle identified the Joker as his favorite and said he was considering dressing as Gotham City’s most notorious criminal again this Halloween.
An NFL running back embracing the Clown Prince of Crime?
There’s potential there.
The Joker’s entire personality revolves around unpredictability, chaos and making everyone around him uncomfortable.
Come to think of it, that’s not a terrible description of what a running back hopes to accomplish against an opposing defense.
Just leave the exploding playing cards at home.
THE WILD CARD: SHARKS, GANGSTERS AND A CHILDHOOD WITHOUT TRICK-OR-TREATING
Patrick Queen | Linebacker | Deep Blue Sea and Wrong Turn
Patrick Queen brought two unexpected selections to the horror discussion.
Deep Blue Sea and Wrong Turn.
One features genetically enhanced sharks with an appetite for human beings.
The other involves unfortunate travelers discovering that taking the wrong road can lead to considerably worse consequences than missing an exit.
Queen wasn’t even certain the shark thriller qualified as horror.
“I don’t know if it counts as horror, but Deep Blue Sea,” he said.
It counts.
Anything involving enormous sharks turning a research facility into an underwater buffet deserves consideration.
But Queen’s most interesting Halloween revelation wasn’t cinematic.
It was personal.
“My mom didn’t let me go to Halloween,” he explained.
No childhood trick-or-treating adventures. No annual costume parade.
That doesn’t mean he’s ignoring the holiday as an adult.
Quite the opposite.
Queen revealed that he has three costume options ready: Stitch, a Peaky Blinders-inspired outfit and an American Gangster look.
That’s quite the wardrobe.
A lovable blue alien, a stylish British gangster and an American crime boss.
Three completely different personalities, one NFL linebacker.
If Queen ever gets tired of football, there’s apparently a casting director somewhere who should give him a call.
THE FINAL SCENE: UNDERNEATH THE HELMETS
Here’s the beautiful thing about Halloween inside an NFL locker room.
For most of the year, these players are reduced to statistics, snap counts, contracts and whatever happened on third-and-seven.
They’re judged by missed tackles, dropped passes and whether they helped somebody win a fantasy football matchup.
But ask about Halloween, and something different happens.
The armor disappears.
Warren becomes the kid who never needed a costume because he already knew what he wanted to be.
Rudolph remembers sleepovers and frightening movies.
Bernard recalls a photograph from his aunt.
Spears-Jennings remembers his mother telling him to grab the football uniform.
Bruener becomes a purple Teletubby.
Castro becomes a banana.
And Howard becomes Eeyore all over again, this time for children who could use a little happiness.
Thirteen Steelers. Thirteen different personalities. Enough horror recommendations to ruin several nights of sleep and enough costume ideas to make a neighborhood Halloween party considerably more interesting.
The NFL spends billions selling us the idea that its players are larger than life.
Halloween offers a pleasant reminder that they weren’t always.
Once upon a time, they were just kids racing down sidewalks, carrying pillowcases full of candy, hoping the next house handed out something better than a miniature box of raisins.
Some were ninjas. Some were superheroes. Some were football players.
And one future Pittsburgh Steeler was a banana.
Happy Halloween, Pittsburgh.
And whatever you do, don’t tell Robert Spears-Jennings the movie is based on a true story.
Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com
