Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels might want a re-do of the past week or so.
On Wednesday, it was reported that Daniels had informed his former school LSU that the Tigers are no longer permitted to use his name, image and likeness. The reason? Daniels is miffed that LSU is letting his No. 5 be worn by sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett. The No. 5 has not formally been retired in Daniels’s honor, but it also has not been worn since Daniels’s Heisman-winning campaign in 2023.
“The Daniels family is deeply disappointed and feels profoundly disrespected by LSU’s decision to give Jayden’s number to another player,” said a statement from Daniels’ spokesperson 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.”
This was very much a mistake, as Daniels immediately became a punchline across the sporting world, with everyone from Columbia football to StubHub getting in on the action. Daniels has responded since the initial report, stating that he’s been “locked in” on training camp and that he hopes the matter “will get done privately.”
If Daniels was hoping a weekend’s worth of other sporting news would help the world move past his request, he was in for a frustrating surprise, as teams across Major League Baseball lined up to make him a punching bag.
Won by 5 because we’re not scared of Jayden Daniels.#GuardsBall | #GuardiWinspic.twitter.com/dGtdq52UU0
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) August 16, 2026
Scored 4 to honour Jayden Daniels’ 5
#BlueJays50pic.twitter.com/SWc8YWlTz5
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 15, 2026
he asked to throw a 5th pitch but we had to say no out of respect for Jayden Daniels https://t.co/rvgPoCbcs3pic.twitter.com/UlSopn6IG2
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) August 16, 2026
MLB teams have been trolling Jayden Daniels: pic.twitter.com/jKgLfR4pC1
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 16, 2026
If there is a bright side to this for Daniels, it’s that it feels like the social media campaign should slow down at least for a little bit now that apparently everyone has gotten their shot in.
That said, Daniels and the Commanders travel to face the Philadelphia Eagles on the road in Week 1 of the regular season, at which point Philly fans might breath brand new life into the media cycle.
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