LOVERRO: Silly flap over No. 5 jersey splashes a little mud in the face of the franchise
by Thom Loverro · The Washington TimesOPINION:
And you were worried that Brandon Aiyuk was going to be a distraction if he showed up at Washington Commanders training camp. It turns out his former Arizona State teammate, quarterback Jayden Daniels, has been the biggest distraction for the organization. Or, more specifically, the business of Jayden Daniels.
The third-year quarterback himself has, for the most part, been typically professional and particularly sharp on the field, as he comes back from last year’s disappointing, injury-filled season.
The JD5 business, though, has taken the franchise along on a wild ride through social media, thanks to his management team’s decision to send a cease-and-desist notice, according to ESPN, to LSU, where Daniels won the Heisman Trophy in 2023. Daniels and his legal advisers have ordered the school to stop using his name, image and likeness because they had the nerve to give his No. 5 jersey to someone else — sophomore defensive back D.J. Pickett.
It was a ham-handed move by Daniels’ management team, which includes his mother Regina Jackson, who is also his agent.
The battle over Daniels’ number has erupted into a public relations nightmare for the young quarterback and the Commanders, as both have watched the superstar turn into the punchline to a joke that threatens to overshadow the very LSU legacy the cease-and-desist action purported to protect.
There have been countless jokes on social media made at Daniels’ expense, from baseball teams to major corporations to the federal government, which posted on the Department of the Interior social media account, “National Park Week starts in 4 days. We were going to announce this yesterday, but out of respect, we waited,” referring to the Daniels’ number 5 jersey dispute.
For those who dismiss the noise as a media controversy … well, it’s the 21st century, boys and girls. If it’s a media controversy, then it’s a controversy.
The face of the Commanders organization is being fitted for a clown nose and a Bozo wig. He may be a bystander, but not an innocent bystander. His business people represent him. Daniels will be 26 in December. He is old enough to exert control over whoever it was that decided to turn his LSU legacy into a mockery.
Advertisement Advertisement
This is what Daniels — or someone representing him — posted on his social media account: “I have been locked in on training camp and that’s been my number one focus. I have a lot of gratitude for my time at LSU and I’m proud of what my teammates and I accomplished there. Obviously there are issues to be worked out between my team and LSU and my hope is that it will get done privately. My sole personal focus is on Commanders’ football. I realize the business of football is unique and I trust this can all be resolved.”
The business of football has been more than unique for this Washington football team. It has been broken for decades, and the new owners have been trying to dig the organization out of the cesspool depths that defined the years under Dan Snyder. They have been trying to establish a reputation as a franchise to be taken seriously. Now the player they are counting on to lead them out of the pit has become sport for ridicule.
That’s not good for anyone involved in Commanders football.
It may not matter once Daniels takes the field in real NFL games. He certainly is capable of silencing the noise with his play.
But if you want to talk football, it may not be pretty. The offensive line tasked to protect No. 5 looks like a disaster right now, with their best player, tackle Laremy Tunsil, out for possibly the season with torn triceps, center Nick Allegretti unable to stay healthy in training camp and their other tackle, Josh Conerly, struggling in camp. The LSU No. 5 comedy show will be revived in every city on the road where Daniels fails. It wasn’t pressure the quarterback needed.
Advertisement Advertisement
Finally, there is Jackson, his mother and agent and clearly the domineering force in her son’s life. She has now left scorched earth with both college programs where Daniels played.
Jackson was actually named in the report of the NCAA recruiting probe during the Herm Edwards era at Arizona State after she allegedly paid for flights and lodging for recruits who impermissibly visited campus during COVID.
Now, for all intents and purposes, her and her son have become persona non grata at LSU, at least for the moment.
Not exactly a reassuring track record for the Commanders or their fans.
Advertisement Advertisement
• You can hear Thom Loverro on “The Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast.
Contact the author
Thom Loverro
Follow author updates Follow Click to follow. Manage followed authors