RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Jayden Daniels is at odds with his alma mater , LSU, the place he became a Heisman Trophy winner and second overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. It's an odd dispute that leaves us with questions , but he appears to have a legitimate gripe. It's just not the one Daniels sent a cease and desist letter to the school about.
On its face, the dispute is over the jersey number Daniels wore at LSU. The Tigers are allowing sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett to wear that No. 5 jersey this season , and Daniels doesn't approve.
"The Daniels family is deeply disappointed and feels profoundly disrespected by LSU's decision to give Jayden's number to another player," a spokesperson for Daniels said in a statement to ESPN . "Jayden and his family had every reason to believe that his number would remain a meaningful part of his LSU legacy and would be honored and protected in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the university."
To be clear, this is very silly. There's no reason Daniels' number should have been or should be off limits. It isn't retired, and even if it was, LSU's policy wouldn't preclude it from being used. But from my read of things, the jersey number isn't the real issue here. The problem is people at LSU overpromised on things they couldn't deliver, and had to break one promise to honor the other.
The first promise was the one made to Pickett, a five-star recruit in the class of 2025 who was told he could wear No. 5 by someone on the old LSU staff, according to new LSU coach Lane Kiffin. The second promise was the one made by former head coach Brian Kelly, who didn't want to honor the first promise without Daniels' blessing.
"I just wasn't prepared to do it until we got a full commitment from another Heisman Trophy winner," Kelly said, via ESPN. "We didn't want to issue No. 9, so you can't treat one differently from the other."
Kelly and/or the athletic department clearly gave Daniels the impression his number was untouchable in the same way Joe Burrow's No. 9 has been. Though there's an obvious undefeated national championship-sized difference between the two players, if Daniels was given the option to block his number -- which the spokesperson says he was -- that should have been honored.
"Jayden made it clear that he did not want his number given to another player, and he believed his wishes would be respected," the statement said.
Of course, Kelly can't uphold the promise if he isn't there. And he was replaced by Kiffin, who has no ties or loyalty to Daniels. So, Kiffin is allowing Pickett to switch from No. 3 to No. 5 to at least honor the original promise. And that's honestly the right call for a new coach whose biggest concern is keeping his current team happy.
It sucks for Daniels, but he should let it go. The disrespect is in the unfulfilled promise, not in another player wearing his number. More accomplished players see their numbers get recycled too. Focus on the Washington Commanders and let another player write their story in that jersey.
Russell Westbrook retires
Russell Westbrook's Hall of Fame career has come to an end, as the point guard announced his retirement Wednesday. Though it didn't end on the highest of notes, his place in history should be remembered with reverence , writes Robert Zeglinski.
"As far as I'm concerned, Westbrook is one of the most influential players in basketball history, let alone just the NBA. Full stop. At his peak with the Oklahoma City Thunder , which culminated in a well-deserved MVP award in 2017, born of a season-long triple-double average, Westbrook was a vicious tornado of power. His motor, which is surely among the finest ever, was relentless. At times, I'm unsure he needed tangible fuel to keep going because his energy seemed perpetual, ceaseless. His ability to flip a game through an explosive ruthlessness no one else on the court possessed was unmatched."
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This article originally appeared on For The Win: Jayden Daniels has a legitimate gripe with LSU, but it’s not about a jersey number
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