With a vote on the Protect College Sports Act delayed until at least September, we needed something to fill the drama void in the last couple of weeks before the first college football games of the season.
Enter Jayden Daniels.
In case you missed it, ESPN’s Mark Schlabach reported late Wednesday night that Daniels’ attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter to LSU stating that the school could no longer use his name, image, and likeness. Daniels played his last two seasons of college football with the Tigers after transferring from Arizona State and became the third LSU player to win the Heisman in 2023.
What drew Daniels’ ire? The fact that the Tigers reissued his #5 jersey after he had (according to one of his spokespeople) made it clear he didn’t want it to be worn again.
In the days since the story broke, it feels like the entire sports world has come together to mock Daniels (seriously, even StubHub has gotten in on it), but the whole episode raises a legit question: how should college sports teams handle jersey retirements?
Personally, I really like the way Carolina basketball does it. Both the men’s and women’s teams use a two-tiered system – jerseys can be fully retired or honored but kept in circulation – with set criteria for each. Making the process objective rather than subjective eliminates room for arguments and hurt feelings; a player either meets the criteria or they don’t.
What would your policy be? Tell us in the comments below.