EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants are re-using their first unused number for sensational rookie receiver Malik Nabers.
The Giants announced on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) that Nabers will wear No. 1 this season.
The number was retired by the Giants in 1935, coinciding with the retirement of end Ray Flaherty. It was the first number in professional football history to be retired.
THE FUTURE New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers greets fans after playing against the Detroit Lions in an NFL football game on Aug. 8, 2024, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. AP PHOTO
The decision was made after discussions between Giants co-owner and general manager John Mara and Ray Flaherty Jr., the team said.
Nabers has worn No. 9 since his draft, but the LSU product needed a different number because punter Graham Gano is No. 9. At LSU, he wore No. 8, but that belongs to quarterback Daniel Jones.
“I will represent their family’s retired number well,” Nabers said in a team statement. “I will do my best. I am grateful that they chose the opportunity to retire the jersey and let me wear it. I will wear it with pride.”
Nabers refused to speak to the media in the locker room after practice on Wednesday. A team spokesman said the No. 6 pick in the draft would speak on Thursday.
The Giants said Nabers asked Mara if the number could be used again and the owner asked the surviving members of Flaherty’s family. The co-owner said he would not have approved the activation of the number without the consent of Ray Jr., daughter Shelby and sons Chad and Conner.
Flaherty was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1976. He played for the Giants from 1928-29 and 1931-35, helping them to the NFL Championship Game in 1933, 1934 and 1935. Flaherty, who introduced the screen pass, had a record of 80-37-5 as a coach with Boston, Washington, the New York Yankees and the Chicago Hornets, winning two titles with Washington. He died in 1994.
