Phillip Lindsay rode down an escalator toward a hotel ballroom wearing a custom designer suit, checkered white and gray with teal accents, plus two gold chains that swayed beneath his trademark brown Afro. An ESPN camera crew followed his every move. He couldn’t stop smiling.
Lindsay prepared for an uncertain football future around this time last spring as the fifth running back on the Broncos’ depth chart. Wednesday night, he strolled into the Hilton Denver City Center to accept the 2018 professional athlete of the year award given by the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. From undrafted CU Buffs legend, to NFL starter, and to 1,000-yard rusher, Lindsay’s meteoric rise vaulted him to a new level of celebrity.