From Filthy to Fabulous: Following Knowshon Moreno’s Dirty Laundry

“Righteously filthy.”

That’s how I initially described, via Twitter, the game-worn Knowshon Moreno jersey Panini America acquired late during the 2010 NFL season. The dazzlingly dirty memorabilia masterpiece was swiftly introduced to the production cycle for inclusion in 2010 National Treasures Football, but not before I could chronicle some of the process.

While it’s not at all uncommon for us to receive battle-tested NFL togs, it is rare to find one this gloriously grotesque. The Denver Broncos fan in me required more information, so I set out to discover exactly when Moreno so massively muddied this marvel. Turns out he wore it against the Oakland Raiders on Oct. 24, 2010, a dismal day for Denver that saw the Broncos lose to the archrival Raiders at home, 59-14.

Moreno, it should be noted, was wearing this very jersey — and contaminating it considerably with Mother Nature’s mile-high markings — while scoring both of Denver’s touchdowns that afternoon, the first on a 7-yard reception and the second on a 27-yard catch. It’s still the only time in Moreno’s brief career that the dynamic running back has recorded two receiving TDs in one game.

But enough about the history made in this jersey; let’s take a closer look at the grit gained while doing it. The following gallery (so dirty it should be rated NC-17) includes the mesmerizing jersey in various stages of disassembly as well as a few of the trading cards made from it. Stay tuned after the images for a video detailing the estimating and de-seaming process all of Panini America’s game-worn jerseys go through.

And now . . . the must-see video:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylN_RkIkfAA&w=480&h=390]