Everything is a numbers game when it comes to NFL jerseys. And now, we know the digit Malik Nabers will wear as a New York Giant.
The first-round pick out of LSU has gotten permission from the family of the late Ray Flaherty to wear No. 1. Yes, the same digit Big Blue retired in 1935.
Progress? Unsure.
“Thank you to the Flaherty family for allowing me to wear Number 1 for the New York Giants,” Nabers said in a statement released by the team on Wednesday. “I understand the responsibility, and I will do everything in my power to honor the Flaherty family and this organization.
“I will wear the number with great pride. Can’t wait for the season to start.”
Nabers has been wearing No. 9 at practice and in the preseason. However, that number belongs to veteran kicker Graham Gano.
The No. 8 he wore at LSU is QB Daniel Jones’ jersey.
Who is Ray Flaherty, you ask?
Flaherty, who played end, joined the Giants in 1929 and, after two years as the Gonzaga basketball coach, returned from 1931 to ’35. He later became a professional football coach, and is credited with the behind-the-line screen pass and the two-platoon substitution system.
Flaherty was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976. He was the first football player to have his jersey retire. That occured in 1935, 89 years ago.
Number 𝟭 😮💨 🧼 pic.twitter.com/t26p77IGxR
— New York Giants (@Giants) August 28, 2024
