Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has decided to start a legal war with his former school, LSU, over the rights to his name, image and likeness — and it all stems from the use of his former college jersey number.
Yes, the Heisman Trophy winner is trying to distance himself from the LSU football program and prevent the school from using promotional material related to his time in Baton Rouge.
Why?
Because LSU is allowing current cornerback D.J. Pickett to wear the No. 5 jersey this upcoming season, a number Daniels believes should not be worn due to what he accomplished during his time on the Bayou.
Earlier this month, an attorney representing Daniels sent a cease-and-desist letter to the LSU athletic department detailing a list of demands regarding the school's use of Daniels' NIL.
In the letter, first reported by ESPN and confirmed by Fox News Digital-OutKick, attorney Adam Kenner was very specific about what he expects from LSU moving forward.
"Accordingly, LSU must immediately cease and desist from any further issue use, display, publication, distribution, promotion, commercialization, or other exploitation of Mr. Daniels' NIL in any manner or medium," Kenner detailed in a letter to AD Verge Ausberry. "Any use of Mr. Daniels' NIL occurring after LSU's receipt of this notice will be deemed knowing and willful and will be pursued vigorously through all available legal and equitable remedies, without further notice."
I think it's pretty easy to tell that this kerfuffle is not going away any time soon.
After Daniels won the 2023 Heisman Trophy, the clock started ticking on when LSU could potentially retire his jersey number. Under LSU's policy, there is a five-year waiting period before that discussion can take place.
But that doesn't mean LSU can't allow another player to wear the number in the meantime. According to the athletic department's protocol, that decision comes down to the head coach's discretion.
Legendary halfback Billy Cannon, who wore No. 20 while playing at LSU, had his number permanently retired, meaning it cannot be worn again. Other legendary Tigers have had their jerseys retired while their numbers remain available for current players.
So, with the clock still ticking on when LSU can even discuss retiring the No. 5 that Daniels wore after transferring in from Arizona State, former head coach Brian Kelly told ESPN that he promised the number to current cornerback D.J. Pickett during the recruiting process.
Yes, I promise you, this is a thing in college athletics — and has been for years. If a school is heavily recruiting an athlete who wants to wear a certain number, the program can promise that number as part of the recruiting process to entice an athlete to sign.
But Daniels was apparently under the impression that LSU should have asked him beforehand whether he was OK with another player wearing No. 5 for the first time since he left Baton Rouge for the NFL.
It should also be noted that Joe Burrow, who won the 2019 Heisman Trophy and led LSU to a national championship, has not had his No. 9 worn by another player in Baton Rouge since leaving for the NFL.
So, is Daniels upset that his number is being handed to another player while Burrow's has remained untouched?
That's likely part of the equation, especially given the statement provided by a spokesperson for Daniels.
"The Daniels family is deeply disappointed and feels profoundly disrespected by LSU's decision to give Jayden's number to another player," Jayden Daniels' spokesperson said. "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."
It appears Daniels is upset that, while former coach Brian Kelly held off on allowing someone else to wear the number, current head coach Lane Kiffin is honoring a promise made to a player during the previous regime's time in Baton Rouge.
This is obviously a no-win situation for the LSU head coach.
Either he's going to accommodate DJ Pickett or upset former Heisman Trophy quarterback Jayden Daniels.
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When asked about the situation during a recent news conference at LSU, Lane Kiffin was adamant that he's simply keeping a promise the previous staff made to Pickett.
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"DJ is in No.5, and that was a situation that was promised to him in recruiting here, for him to sign here," Kiffin told reporters. "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. It wasn't done for whatever reason. I'm not going to get into that.
"I'm not going to judge something [that was done] when I wasn't here. But when a kid is promised something to come to a school, he should wear it. So at that point, I don't think that's really my decision. We should honor what he was told."
So, this ultimately comes down to a former player who feels disrespected by his old school and a current head coach caught in the middle of an increasingly messy dispute between Daniels and LSU administrators.