*Washington Commanders quarterback and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels has escalated his dispute with Louisiana State University/LSU through a cease-and-desist letter — while sports teams across the country have turned the fight over his old No. 5 into an increasingly elaborate running joke.
The legal move needs an important distinction: Daniels isn’t suing LSU or claiming legal ownership of the number 5. Attorney Adam Kenner’s Aug. 5 letter demands that LSU stop using Daniels’ name, image and likeness, while the dispute that triggered the rupture centers on the school giving sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett the No. 5 Daniels wore in Baton Rouge.
ESPN, which obtained the letter, reported that Daniels’ representatives say his NIL agreement authorized LSU to use those rights for 180 days after the agreement ended. Kenner demanded that LSU “immediately cease and desist” from further use of Daniels’ NIL.
Why No. 5 Became Personal
Daniels’ family says LSU’s decision to reissue his number left them “deeply disappointed” and feeling “profoundly disrespected.”
Daniels won the Heisman at LSU in 2023 before becoming the No. 2 overall NFL draft pick. No Tiger had worn No. 5 since his departure until Pickett made the switch. But Pickett has his own history with the number.
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Pickett says he has worn No. 5 since age 4, and former LSU coach Brian Kelly confirmed the highly touted defensive back had been promised it during recruiting. Kelly said he previously prevented the switch because Daniels didn’t want another player wearing No. 5.
Current LSU coach Lane Kiffin inherited that promise and decided LSU should honor it. Pickett’s father, Damien Pickett, has also made his family’s position clear: his son isn’t giving up the number.
That means LSU isn’t simply choosing whether to honor Daniels’ legacy. It’s also deciding whether to break a recruiting promise made to another player.
Joe Burrow Complicates the No. 5 Fight
Then there’s Joe Burrow.
Like Daniels, Burrow won the Heisman at LSU. His No. 9 hasn’t been issued since he left, although it isn’t officially retired.
Burrow confirmed LSU told him no one else would wear No. 9, though he acknowledged circumstances can change. The difference has inevitably raised questions about why Daniels’ No. 5 is being treated differently.
LSU policy generally requires athletes to be five years removed from competition before becoming eligible for jersey-retirement consideration, meaning Daniels isn’t yet eligible under the normal process.
And Daniels apparently wants more than his NIL removed. LouisianaSports.net reported that his representatives also asked LSU to return the university’s copy of his Heisman Trophy.
LSU reportedly has no intention of doing so.
Then Everybody Discovered the Number 5
That’s where a serious disagreement over athlete legacy and NIL rights became social-media catnip.
After beating the Washington Nationals 4-1 Friday, the New York Mets posted:
“Stopped at 4 out of respect for Jayden Daniels.”
Yes, the Nationals play in the same Washington where Daniels quarterbacks the Commanders.
Columbia Football joked about removing the 5-yard line from its field. Saratoga Race Course joined in with a gag about eliminating post position No. 5.
Even NASCAR’s TRICON Garage played along, saying “out of respect for Jayden Daniels” that Corey Heim would no longer run the No. 5 at Richmond Raceway.
At this rate, five may need representation.
But the jokes distort Daniels’ legal position. His cease-and-desist doesn’t assert ownership of the numeral.
It targets LSU’s continued use of his NIL after the contractual authorization his representatives say LSU possessed expired.
Daniels Wants the Dispute Handled Privately
Daniels himself has been less combative publicly than the legal letter and memes might suggest.
With the Commanders in training camp, Daniels said he’s grateful for LSU and hopes the disagreement can be resolved privately.
“Obviously there are issues to be worked out between my team and LSU and my hope is that it will get done privately,” Daniels said.
Kiffin, meanwhile, isn’t backing away from Pickett wearing No. 5, saying LSU is moving forward.
That leaves both players with understandable claims: Daniels sees the number as part of the LSU legacy he built while winning college football’s highest individual honor; Pickett says LSU promised it to him before he arrived.
The larger NIL question is harder to meme away. Universities build decades of marketing around athletes who make their programs famous, but those athletes now possess commercial rights to their identities.
LSU can remember Jayden Daniels.
Whether it can continue commercially using Jayden Daniels is what his attorney wants answered.
Meanwhile, the rest of sports apparently plans to count from four directly to six.
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MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Jayden Daniels, Quarterback for Louisiana State University, Wins the 2023 Heisman Trophy | WATCH
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