Needs to get over himself.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is apparently upset with his former school, and is demanding that LSU stop using his name, image and likeness in their promotional material – all because another player is now wearing his #5 jersey on the field.
Daniels played at LSU from 2022-2023 after transferring from Arizona State. The quarterback led the Tigers to a 10-4 record during his first season in Baton Rouge, ultimately losing to Georgia in the SEC championship game and missing the playoffs. And in his second season, LSU ultimately ended up going 9-3, though Daniels won the Heisman Trophy for his performance before opting out of the team’s appearance in the Reliaquest Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft.
The dispute with his school comes after LSU allowed sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett to wear the #5 this season after wearing #3 last year. It’s the first time a player has worn #5 since Daniels left, and apparently he (or his family) aren’t happy that his number is back on the field.
In a cease and desist letter to LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry, attorneys representing Daniels demanded that the university “cease and desist from any further use, display, publication, distribution, promotion, commercialization, or other exploitation of Mr. Daniels’ NIL in any manner or medium.”
And in a statement, a spokesperson for Daniels made clear that he feels “profoundly disrespected” over LSU allowing another player to wear his number:
“The Daniels family is deeply disappointed and feels profoundly disrespected by LSU’s decision to give Jayden’s number to another player. 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.
Jayden made it clear that he did not want his number given to another player, and he believed his wishes would be respected. His Heisman Trophy-winning season and everything he accomplished on and off the field cemented his place in LSU history. To see his number given to another player is incredibly disappointing and feels like a failure to honor the significance of what Jayden accomplished at LSU.”
Now, Daniels reportedly feels that his number is being treated differently than the #9 worn by Joe Burrow, the last Heisman-winning quarterback at LSU. While Burrow’s number hasn’t officially been retired by the university, it hasn’t been worn since LSU went undefeated and won the national championship with Burrow during the 2019 season.
The only other Heisman winner from LSU is Billy Cannon, a running back who won the award in 1959 and led his team to the national championship before becoming the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, after which Cannon’s #20 was officially retired by LSU.
However, LSU’s current policy on jersey retirements states that any number “retired” after 2017 can still be worn again, making the honor largely symbolic to honor great players. And neither the #9 or the #5 have been “retired” by the university.
According to LSU coach Lane Kiffin, Pickett had been promised that he would be allowed to wear the #5 while being recruited for the Tigers:
“DJ is in 5, and that was a situation that was promised to him in recruiting here, for him to sign here. I’ve done a lot of research on that with the family and the representatives and the people, so really I didn’t have a decision to make. It was promised to the kid.”
Former head coach Brian Kelly, who was fired midway through last season, says that he chose not to honor the agreement to allow Pickett to wear #5 because Daniels wasn’t onboard with it:
“I just wasn’t prepared to do it until we got a full commitment from another Heisman Trophy winner. We didn’t want to issue No. 9, so you can’t treat one differently from the other.”
Of course the big difference between Daniels and his fellow Heisman winners from Baton Rouge is that both Burrow and Cannon won the national championship during their Heisman season. Daniels led his team to…the Reliaquest Bowl versus Wisconsin, and then opted out of playing his final game with the team.
Ultimately it seems that all the cease and desist has done is infuriate LSU fans, who aren’t happy with their former quarterback. There’s nothing to prevent LSU from issuing the #5 to players now or in the future, and the school can absolutely continue to recognize his accomplishments during his time in Baton Rouge.
Seems like a loser move from Daniels.
