I stumbled across this game-used jersey of former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Auden Tate while scrolling through eBay last year. The jersey, which is torn up the side and across both collars, was advertised as having been “ripped during the game”. I knew right away that it must’ve had an intriguing backstory.

I began scouring Google for anything I could find related to the origin game in 2019 and discovered articles about Tate experiencing a scary neck injury in a game against the Raiders. Late in the game Tate caught a third-down pass and was hit in the back by a defender, causing his nick to bend forward unnaturally. The game was stopped for ten minutes while Tate was stabilized on a spineboard and carted off the field. A close examination of the jersey’s rips demonstrate that they were made by a pair of scissors that the medical staff used to remove the jersey during treatment without disturbing his neck. Fortunately the injury turned out to be just a scare and Tate was back on the field two weeks later.

Long story short, after some eBay haggling the jersey arrived in my mailbox and it’s safe to say that it’s my favorite collectible that I’ve ever owned. I love memorabilia that tells a story, and this one speaks of a modern-day gladiator who put his life on the line for a winless team in the Coliseum (L.A., of course).