USC recently tried to convince Matt Leinart to allow him to wear No. 11 not retired This is the latest example of the biggest flaw in decommissioning numbers.
The temptation to not fulfill a promise.
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Any team that considers asking players whose numbers have been retired to agree to have their numbers unretired should never retire their numbers. It’s that simple. The honor should be permanent and irrevocable. If a team is not prepared to truly shelve a number and never use it again, then that number should never be retired.
Frankly, the whole thing is stupid. There are many ways to immortalize players without cutting the 100 available numbers. These methods are easier to live with because there is never a chance to undo it unless the person later does something to justify it.
This request puts players whose jerseys have been retired in an awkward position. His choice is to repay the permanent tribute he’s already received, or be seen as a “jerk” for not helping the team.
For professional football teams, the problem is that players choose different numbers. For college football programs, this could result in a player choosing another school.
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So just don’t do it. Teams that have never retired a jersey (Raiders, Cowboys, Texans and Falcons) have done so. They should stay that way.
For teams with retired numbers, they should keep it that way as well. Players (or their families) whose numbers have been retired should not be asked to have their numbers issued again.
