Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has become the target of social-media jabs from across sports, including Major League Baseball’s New York Mets, amid a dispute with his alma mater, LSU.
Daniels’ spokesperson told ESPN that the quarterback objected to the Tigers allowing cornerback DJ Pickett to wear the No. 5 jersey Daniels wore during his Heisman-winning 2023 season, according to ESPN.
Also according to ESPN, Daniels’ attorney sent an Aug. 5 letter to Tigers athletic director Verge Ausberry informing LSU that it can no longer use Daniels’ name, image and likeness; a copy of the letter was obtained by ESPN.
The disagreement has prompted a range of online jokes, according to ESPN. StubHub announced it would “no longer offer tickets in groups of 5,” NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team TRICON Garage said it would not run No. 5 at a Friday race and the account for Minor League Baseball joked about a postponed game resuming at 5:05 p.m. in the fifth inning.
Following the Mets’ 4-1 win over the Washington Nationals, the Mets posted a graphic saying they “Stopped at 4 out of respect for Jayden Daniels,” ESPN reported. As of Saturday, the post had received more than 8,700 retweets and 108,000 likes, according to ESPN.
The Mets rank 22nd in MLB with 514 runs scored, the report added.
