In the days following Abdul Carter’s drafting to the New York Giants, the rookie reached out to franchise legend Lawrence Taylor to ask for his blessing to wear his retired No. 56. In response, Taylor denied the request but told Carter to “be the player that he is” and essentially blaze his own trail in the NFL.
This week, another Giants legend in former quarterback Phil Simms took the opposite approach as he went ahead and offered up his No. 11 to be unretired if the rookie decided to retain the same number he wore while starring for Penn State.