Posted on 08/20/2026 1:05:47 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Plus: Why Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers are guilty, and why Shohei Ohtani is not Jason Russell | 8.18.2026 10:25 AM
Has any famous athlete ever had such an unnecessary public relations fumble as Jayden Daniels' demand that LSU stop using his name, image, and likeness (NIL)?
The Commanders quarterback is getting relentlessly mocked online by almost everyone—not just random people online, but even professional teams in other leagues. Examples if you click below:
New York Mets @Mets Stopped at 4 out of respect for Jayden Daniels #LGM #MetsWin
NFL Drop @TheNFLDrop Five Guys has changed their name to Four Guys out of respect for Jayden Daniels.
Football Crave @FootballCravee Jayden Daniels reportedly turned away 5 year olds wanting autographs today
Columbia Football @CULionsFB Out of respect for Jayden Daniels, we have removed the 5-yard line from our field
Richard Johnson @RichJohnsonNFL Jayden Daniels’ teammates have reportedly been instructed to only give him high fours, as high fives are believed to constitute unauthorized use of his No. 5.
Max Velocity @MaxVelocityWX BREAKING: Hurricane categories have been changed to Category 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6, to allow Jayden Daniels his rights to number 5
Underdog @Underdog NFL to consider a league-wide bye in Week 5 The week of October 5 would encroach on Jayden Daniels' number on multiple counts
Whiskey Riff @WhiskeyRiff Alan Jackson has changed the name of his song to "It's Four O'Clock Somewhere" out of respect for Jayden Daniels.
Daniels was apparently so bitter at LSU assigning his no. 5 jersey to sophomore cornerback D.J. Pickett that Daniels sent a cease-and-desist letter (on August 5, naturally, but reported on by ESPN a week later) telling the school to stop using his NIL. But, in a textbook example of the Streisand effect, now everyone is talking about him and how silly this demand is.
Even if Daniels' NIL contract expired long ago, his demand that no. 5 be retired reeks of entitlement. Especially on the collegiate level, football numbers don't get retired often because there are a gazillion people on the roster. While he did win the Heisman in his senior year, the team was just 9–3 in both of his LSU regular seasons (a season ending in the ReliaQuest Bowl is not exactly the stuff of history).
The funny thing is, this is basically Daniels complaining about someone doing marketing for him for free. LSU used his likeness to promote themselves, yes, but also to promote their famous alumni. "If you like us," the marketing might imply, "why not go buy this very successful former player's NFL jersey?" In theory he could have asked for payment or a cut of proceeds in exchange for NIL rights, but now that ship seems to have sailed with the feud going as public as it has.
There are malevolent P.R. fumbles (drunk driving, domestic abuse, etc.) and ones the victim can eventually laugh along with (butt fumble), but Daniels found the sweet spot as a totally unnecessary loser in this fight. He has, of course, expressed no humor about the situation, issuing a statement that says, "I have been locked in on training camp and that's been my number one focus." (He could have at least used ChatGPT to come up with a lame no. 5 joke!)
I, for one, will cut my drinking tonight from five beers to four—out of respect for Jayden Daniels.
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They should put the entire practice squad in #5 jerseys.
What a doofus!
Some team will still draft him even tho he’s probably a head case.
I’ll have to wait until I can put this excerpt into my super-secret decoder before I can make sense of it.
ESPN’s bottom ten NCAA football teams has Daniels at number 5
“Mend” = “Men” Dang it. Sauron made me do that.
LOL!
Things like this always happen when dealing with the “entitlement” class...
We’ve just finished burying our memory of Robert Griffin; now we see the same issues with Jayden Daniels...
Same fragile body... Same nosy momma... Same attitudes...
Probably the same very short NFL career...
I suppose this could be because of an out-of-control sports agent, but still...
Follow the money (NIL)...
In Florida, dozens of space flights are now on “indefinite hold” after beginning their launch countdown at 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 .. .. .. .. .. ..
“And I’ve got 1, 2, 3, 4.........senses working overtime!”
more pride than a naked parade of gays
I don’t know who Jayden Daniels is or why he’s being memed or mocked..............
Will Fox news change The Five to The Four or The Six?
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