Superstitions are no joke, especially in the NFL. Players will listen to the same music, prepare the same way, do the same ritual before every game and practice. Any change in that routine can be viewed as a reason for error or at least an invitation for bad things to happen. While it might seem silly, it’s a real culture in professional sports to keep things consistent.
That falls to jersey numbers as well. Often in free agency, teams will bring in a player who has worn a certain number throughout their careers. Though it’s just a number, it almost defines that player and they’ll do what they can to get it from another player already on the roster.
For new Baltimore Ravens safety Earl Thomas, No. 29 is his number. The only problem is cornerback Marlon Humphrey has it. Well, not any longer. Thomas and Humphrey came to an understanding and Thomas will be wearing the No. 29 jersey for 2019.
These things don’t come cheap. We’ve seen players demand big money for their jerseys in the past, while some just refuse to give it up altogether. Thomas indicated he might donate some money to a track team ran by Humphrey’s mother to help ease that process.
Thomas didn’t know what number Humphrey was going to switch to. Humphrey hasn’t talked about it on social media either. But Humphrey did wear No. 26 while at Alabama, though he’ll have to figure something out with cornerback Maurice Canady to be able to wear it.
