| Kelsay on selling his number: 'I'm not really interested in that.' (Getty Images/US PRESSWIRE) |
It's not uncommon for a big-name player to change teams and upon arrival procure the jersey number he left with his previous employer. It may cost him five figures to talk whomever currently holds the number into giving it up, but generally, this isn't considered a problem since said player likely just signed a lucrative long-term deal.
In theory, anyway. Former Giants punter Jeff Feagles agreed to give Plaxico Burress No. 17 when he signed with New York before the 2005 season in exchange for a new outdoor kitchen. "I never got paid for it," Feagles told Sports Illustrated in 2010. "I asked [Burress] for it. Every time I went to (Burress' agent) Drew (Rosenhaus) he said, 'That's between you and Plax.' Bottom line, I never got paid. He basically stole my number."
In 2004, running back Clinton Portis agreed to fork over $40,000 to Ifeanyi Ohalete for No. 26 but once Ohalete was released by the Redskins Portis stop payment.
These cautionary tales shouldn't affect Bills defensive end Chris Kelsay, who has no plans to give up his No. 90 for Buffalo's biggest free-agent acquisition ever: Mario Williams.
"The team told us something would need to be decided on fairly soon," Kelsay said according to the Buffalo News. "I spoke with Mario. I actually brought it up to him, he didn't bring it up to me. He completely understood. I've worn it my entire career here," said Kelsay. "A lot of times in a situation like this, the guy will buy it from you. But I'm not really interested in that."
And given recent history, nor should you be. Kelsay is entering his 10th year in the league and is the Bills' second-longest tenured player after punter Brian Moorman.
"People who have never played don't realize how attached you can actually get to a number," he said. "Having played with it my whole career, it was something I don't really want to part with and he completely understood. That was basically it."
Meanwhile, the Bills are expected to assign Williams a number soon. The News speculates that he could target No. 92, which currently belongs to Alex Carrington. If that's the case, a word of advice, Alex: get any transactions in writing. Or you could end up in front of Judge Sapp. And, really, nobody wants that.
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