THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST HOSTED BY MATT FORTE, FEATURING DANIEL THOMAS
Daniel Thomas is a defensive back with the Cleveland Browns. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars after playing his college ball at Auburn. After five seasons in Jacksonville and one in Detroit, he signed with Cleveland in 2026.
Today on the podcast, Matt Forte talks to Daniel Thomas about his NFL Draft experience during the pandemic in 2020, how his experience at Auburn shaped his faith, finding identity in Christ rather than football, what “Cleveland for Christ” is all about, and why he uses his social media platform to point people to God.
With the first games set to kick off in a matter of weeks, anticipation is reaching a fever pitch for the upcoming college football season. Big hits, highlight-reel catches and plenty of excitement from some of the game’s brightest stars are in store for 2026-27 — and the people most responsible for maintaining competitive equity and fair play are the officials.
Frequently questioned yet rarely thanked. Such is the life of a referee. Yet for longtime college football official Donnie Aultman, Saturdays in the fall are opportunities to make much of Christ and point others to the One in whom true hope is found.
“Often, people see officials as almost not human,” Aultman told Sports Spectrum this offseason. “… We’re out there just trying to keep a game going, be a meaningful part of it, but at the same time, people like me are trying to live our faith out through that as well — what God’s called us to do.”
Aultman has been a football official in the Big 12 Conference for more than 15 years and a collegiate official for more than 30. He also works with the United Football League. Aultman has helped officiate a national championship game, in January 2021, and the first-ever campus-site College Football Playoff game, Indiana vs. Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, in December 2024.
We’re cheering for the refs in tonight’s National Championship! ◼️◻️
Donnie Aultman, who graduated from @LATechBUSN in 1994 & 1999 & is a member of our Alumni Association, was chosen to referee the @CFBPlayoff National Championship in Miami. 🏈
Aultman was an avid sports fan growing up. He played football, baseball and basketball in high school, but after graduating from Louisiana Tech in 1994, was planning to enter the business world. He still had an itch for sports he was looking to scratch, however. That’s when, in God’s providence, he was connected with a football official. The rest is history.
“Ever since that point,” Aultman said, “I guess in a way I fell in love with officiating.”
College football officiating crews are required to be on the field 90 minutes before kickoff, often before the teams arrive. One day, as Aultman took in the game-day atmosphere and readied his mind for the intensity to ensue, God revealed to him an opportunity for Gospel growth.
For many years now, Aultman has handed out coins to donors or children he interacts with on the sidelines before games. On one side is information about how to become an official. On the other is the Bible verse Colossians 3:23.
“I’ve found that it’s a way that I could not only reach (people) as far as, ‘Hey, maybe you want to be an official one day,'” he said. “But also maybe that Bible verse planted a seed.”
Aultman took his informal sideline evangelism up a notch a couple of years ago, when it was suggested to him that he create a website for his ministry. He did just that, and Official(ly) His was born.
“This website is a space where I share devotions aimed at enhancing teamwork within officiating crews and enriching their spiritual journey with Christ,” the website states.
The website features activities for kids and a link to a YouTube video for the plan of salvation, as well as information about how to join a local officiating chapter. But the piece that Aultman may be most proud of is a link to another of his websites, refdevotions.blogspot.com. There, he’s catalogued the countless devotions he’s given to the officiating crews he’s been a part of through the years, devotions that often touch on topics related to the world of officiating. He seeks to show others what God has to say about the topic in His Word.
“I’ve had NFL officials, high school officials, I’ve had all levels of officials say they’ve used the devotions in their crews as well,” Aultman said. “… God has called me to do this and given me the opportunity to do this. And I don’t try to waste it.”
Aultman actively incorporates his faith into his pregame routine as well. Every morning, he meets God in prayer. Then, in addition to devotions with the crew and coins with the fans, he continues to saturate game day with prayer. He regularly talks to God as he walks the field before games, and as many crews do, he ensures he prays with his fellow officials minutes before kickoff.
“Just taking that minute for myself — or a couple minutes — just to calm myself and pray,” he said. “Often, I’ll pray for each person on the crew by name.”
His relationship with Jesus grounds him. His identity doesn’t ride on a missed call. He’s accepted in Christ, even in spite of his imperfections. It’s a message that comes in quite handy, he says, when he’s showered with vitriol from fans and coaches.
“Mistakes are gonna be made,” Aultman said. “It’s just like living. We’re still sinful people. There’s still mistakes that are made. That’s kind of the way I picture it. Just like sin in our life, we try to minimize it and turn our back to it when we can. Same way on the field.
“… I’ve found, just like anything in life, if you listen enough and help [coaches] understand you care about what they’re saying — whether you agree with it or not — as long as they see you’re listening.”
(Photo courtesy Donnie Aultman)
Aultman knows he likely won’t receive praise for an officiating job well done, but he’s also certain God has called him to this line of work and given him a passion for it. Ultimately, the story isn’t about him but about the glory of God.
“There’s different ways that I think I’ve been blessed by this and what I’ve been able to do,” Aultman said. “I think it’s important that God’s given me a chance to reach people at the same time. … I’m just trying to follow what God’s leading me to do. Maybe it’s unusual being a football official, but I think that just shows how God’s at work.”
Saints legend Drew Brees with his bust during the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
A weekend celebrating football and the greats who’ve played it was capped by the enshrinement ceremony into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for five more legends of the game on Saturday in Canton, Ohio, the birthplace of today’s NFL.
The 2026 class included wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, kicker Adam Vinatieri, linebacker Luke Kuechly and running back Roger Craig. Perhaps the headliner of the class, however, was quarterback Drew Brees.
Amid a chorus of “Who Dat” chants from the many New Orleans Saints’ faithful in attendance, Brees delivered the final speech of the celebratory afternoon. And in the middle of his gracious yet inspiring speech, Brees made time to point to Jesus, as he so often did during his incredible 20-year career.
“One of the most life-changing events occurred my junior year of high school (in Austin, Texas) after suffering a major knee injury, which put my athletic career in jeopardy. My identity was challenged,” he said. “Up until that point, sports had defined me, and I wasn’t sure who I was without it.
“Sitting in church, on my 17th birthday, Christ came into my heart and changed me forever.”
“Christ came into my heart and changed me forever.”
“I felt protected, connected and directed towards the path that God had for me,” he continued. “He would equip me for the journey, which led me to places I never could have expected.”
Brees also thanked those who mentored him toward greater spiritual maturity, and he later mentioned how much he benefited from the Bible studies he participated in with his Saints teammates.
One of the most poignant moments of Brees’ speech was when he discussed his arrival in New Orleans.
“Sometimes, it takes losing what can be replaced to truly appreciate the things that can’t,” he said, alluding the devastation New Orleans experienced after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. “New Orleans, you accepted me. You embraced me. You believed in me. But more importantly, you entrusted me with the soul of the city.
“And I would’ve died to protect that calling.”
"You trusted me with the soul of the city. And I would have died to protect that calling."
Brees was drafted in the second round by the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers in 2001 after a successful four-year career at Purdue in which he won the Big Ten Conference championship and conference MVP in 2000. He initially struggled with the Chargers, however, and was benched on three separate occasions. Standing at only 6 feet tall and weighing just more than 200 pounds, many considered him too small to succeed.
His unique bond with the city of New Orleans, however, began in March 2006, when he signed with the team in free agency. The Saints were coming off of a 3-13 season in 2005, in which they relocated to San Antonio due to Katrina’s effects. Under the leadership of Brees and first-year head coach Sean Payton, New Orleans rebounded to finish 10-6 and win the NFC South. A few years later, in February 2010, Brees led the Saints to the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl victory, a 31-17 decision over the Indianapolis Colts. Brees was named Super Bowl MVP.
During his 15 seasons in New Orleans, Brees reached 12 of his 13 Pro Bowls, twice won NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2008, 2011), was named Walter Payton Man of the Year (2006), rewrote the NFL record books and endeared himself to the city for life.
Known for his leadership, preparation and pinpoint accuracy, Brees set new records for career passing yards, career passing touchdowns and total completions. He’s now second to Tom Brady in each of those categories. On March 14, 2021, exactly 15 years after signing with the Saints, Brees retired.
In 2018, as he was nearing many of those passing milestones, Brees revealed in a video with Sports Spectrum more details about becoming a follower of Christ as a high schooler so many years ago. Although he went to church growing up, he admitted that he often found church boring. That is, until his torn ACL as a junior in high school.
“What I thought was just gonna be my life — sports — I felt like was being stripped away from me,” he said in the video. “I remember sitting in church on my 17th birthday, sitting in that same pew where my brother and I used to just goof around and never pay attention. For some reason, that day it was different.
“I was locked in on the pastor as he was sitting there talking about how the Lord was looking for a few good men to carry on His Kingdom and to spread His Word and to live that life that He had planned for them. That spoke to me.
“It was at that moment that I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart and knew that there was something that was bigger planned for me than just sports.”
Later in the video he spoke about his 2006 free agency: “My wife and I were taking a visit to New Orleans, who was six months post-Katrina. We’re just looking at the sheer devastation and just saying, ‘I’m not gonna trust what I see with my eyes, because my eyes are telling me not to come here.’ And yet, my heart, my soul, the Lord is telling me that this is our calling. It’s not about just coming to play football and be a part of the resurgence of a football team or an organization; it’s about the resurrection and rebirth of a city, and we can be a part of that.
“… Second Corinthians 5:7 will tell you we’re led by faith and not by sight. So much of life is that. It’s faith in God, knowing that He’s got a plan. At times you don’t understand it, and you’re not gonna see it, and yet you just have to trust Him. You have to have faith.”
Including Brees and his four other Class of 2026 enshrinees, there are now just 387 bronze busts on display in Canton, out of the more than 26,000 players who have ever played in the NFL.
