NFL players are known to do all sorts of things to get the number they’ve worn their whole career after signing with new teams.
Most of the time it’s money, but in the case of Jeff Feagles, sometimes you’ll get a little something extra. In Feagles’ case, he got a a vacation for his family from Eli Manning for relinquishing No. 10 and was supposed to get a renovated kitchen from Plaxico Burress for relinquishing No. 17, a debt that Burress has reportedly not repaid just yet.
One of the more unusual deals in recent memory was bartered by eccentric Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, who had Donovan McNabb’s No. 5 when McNabb signed with the team over the summer. In order to get No. 5, McNabb had to do the following…
-Buy Kluwe an ice cream cone
-Donate $5,000 to the charity of Kluwe’s choosing
And my personal favorite:
-Mention Kluwe’s band Tripping Icarus in five non-consecutive press conferences
Now I’ve heard Donovan McNabb speak a lot over the course of this season but I can’t seem to recall him having mentioned Tripping Icarus at all. And a deal’s a deal, McNabb and Kluwe actually signed one acknowledging that McNabb would do all of the aforementioned things to get his beloved No. 5. This was a mystery that needed unraveling — after all, Donovan McNabb doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who wouldn’t hold up his end of a bet. Also for whatever reason, none of the Vikings beat writers had reported on the number of Tripping Icarus mentions McNabb had racked up over the course of the season.
So I reached out to Kluwe himself via Twitter. I wasn’t expecting a response from him but much to my delight, I got one. The answer to that burning question came in the form of a Direct Message from his personal account:
“He still has three more mentions to go :)”
That leaves more questions than it does answers. Now that McNabb is no longer the starting quarterback, having been unceremoniously replaced by Christian Ponder earlier this week, he’s not going to be facing the media nearly as often unless it’s to answer the question, “So how does it feel getting benched for a rookie?” And with fewer media wanting to interview him, he’s going to have fewer chances to hold up on his end of the bet.
So what happens if McNabb doesn’t fulfill the obligations of his contract to Kluwe? Does his Hall of Fame plaque have an asterisk on it that says “Forever indebted to Chris Kluwe for giving up his number”? Does McNabb even know that he hasn’t fulfilled his end of the contract? Does Kluwe ever remind McNabb about the promise he made before training camp? Will McNabb be permanently banned from wearing the No. 5 for the rest of his NFL career until he utters the words “Tripping Icarus” three more non-consecutive times? Will the Vikings side with their punter, who has become one of the more popular members of the team, or their would-be franchise QB turned star clipboard holder? The world wants to know.
Kluwe didn’t say what the potential consequences were if McNabb didn’t own up. I’m guessing perhaps he’ll get a good ribbing from Kluwe largely because Kluwe seems like the kind of guy who enjoys playing pranks on his teammates. Either way future number swappers, let Kluwe’s harrowing tale serve as a cautionary tale to you before you cede your beloved digits to a teammate who might not keep his end of the bargain.
Matt Lindner writes for ESPN’s Page 2 and is an editor at fellow thecomeback.com site The Outside Corner.
