Syracuse says it didn’t change the status of No. 44 on Tuesday
Perhaps Syracuse has confused itself when it comes to the No. 44 jersey. Or, at the very least, confused a lot of us.
A day after having a ceremony around the number worn by Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little, the school issued a statement about the number on Wednesday.
“Yesterday’s announcement was simply a reiteration of that commitment and another opportunity to celebrate the great accomplishments of those who have worn the number with Syracuse pride and honor,” Syracuse Senior Vice President for Public Affairs Kevin Quinn said in an email to Syracuse.com. “The retired #44 jersey will continue in its place of honor at Dome — as a symbol of past glories and future successes.”
Yes, the school unveiled plans for statues honoring Brown, Davis and Little at Tuesday’s ceremony, but the crux of the event seemed to center around the return of the No. 44, which was retired by the school in 2005.
After all, Syracuse tweeted this:
It’s back pic.twitter.com/gZAXOztdwd
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) May 19, 2015
And interim athletic director Pete Sala said this, via Syracuse.com:
“With the blessing of Jim Brown and Floyd Little, the No. 44 is back. The Syracuse University Football Orange, we are restoring the No. 44 back to the program.”
Makes it look like the No. 44 would be back on the roster, right?
And former Syracuse QB Donovan McNabb, a member of the school’s board of trustees, certainly felt the number was being brought back as he expressed his displeasure about the announcement on Twitter.
Instead, it appears that Syracuse either had an event for the sake of having an event or Sala and the team’s Twitter account weren’t completely correct.
Now, it seems that Syracuse will proceed with a previous policy that said players would be allowed to wear No. 44 in special circumstances. During the ceremony, Little, now a special assistant to the athletic director and on the committee to help decide who is deserving of No. 44, was quoted describing the characteristics the school would be looking for in a player to wear the number.
Given the Wednesday statement, those comments appear to be in reference to the continuation of the policy. Unless, somehow, the waters surrounding the number get murkier in the days ahead.
For more Syracuse news, visit Cuse-Confidential.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
