Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels made headlines Thursday when ESPN reported that his attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter to LSU asking the school to stop using his name, image and likeness.
The decision came after LSU gave the No. 5 jersey to one of its current players, despite Daniels becoming just the third player in program history to win the Heisman Trophy.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow also came up in the report as another recent LSU Heisman winner whose No. 9 jersey has remained unused since he last played for the Tigers.
Burrow Breaks Silence on Controversy
Following the Bengals’ preseason game Thursday night, Burrow spoke to the media and addressed Daniels’ decision.
Burrow said he had heard about the situation but didn’t know enough about it to offer an opinion.
“I don’t necessarily have too many thoughts at this time,” Burrow said via Caleb Noe. “I just don’t know enough about the situation to have any thoughts I would say.”
Burrow also revealed that LSU told him it would never use his No. 9 jersey again after the 2019 season.
“Yeah they told me they wouldn’t use it again, but you never know what happens,” he added.
“They told me they wouldn’t use it again.”
– Joe Burrow, on LSU football & the number 9“I don’t know enough about the (Jayden Daniels) situation to have any thoughts.”#Bengals #LSU pic.twitter.com/S95MoEfFRr
— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) August 14, 2026
While both Daniels and Burrow won the Heisman Trophy, Burrow also won a national championship, making comparisons between the two a bit farfetched. Those comparisons have surfaced since news broke that Daniels had taken action against LSU.
Burrow had what many consider one of the greatest single seasons in college football history while leading one of the best teams the sport has ever seen.
In 2019, Burrow threw for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Daniels accounted for 50 total touchdowns during his Heisman-winning season and finished with roughly 5,000 combined passing and rushing yards.
Daniels’ Statement
Amid the backlash over his decision, Daniels released a statement Thursday and said he remains focused on Commanders football while hoping the situation with LSU works itself out.
“I have been locked in on training camp and that’s been my number one focus. I have a lot of gratitude for my time at LSU and I’m proud of what my teammates and I accomplished there,” Daniels said in a statement on social media Thursday. “Obviously there are issues to be worked out between my team and LSU and my hope is that it will get done privately.”
Bengals QB Joe Burrow Breaks Silence on Jayden Daniels, LSU Controversy