New Browns punter Andy Lee picks No. 8 to honor late daughter

Three-time All-Pro punter Andy Lee was traded to the Cleveland Browns last week, and he had a purpose in picking his new jersey number.

Lee decided to wear No. 8. His daughter Madeline lived eight days after she was born on Jan. 27. She died due to post-birth complications.

It’s a sad and touching tribute.

“I think sometimes, not necessarily by me and my wife, her life can get overlooked. She was here, she was a person but nobody got to meet her, nobody got to see her,” Lee, who wore No. 4 with the San Francisco 49ers for 11 seasons, told the Browns’ website. “She was really alive and really a person. It’s a way to honor her and kind of just give her some glory she deserves.”

According to the story on the Browns’ site, Madeline Lee was born via C-section and swallowed some fluid during birth. She was given a breathing tube and sent to the neonatal intensive care unit. Madeline Lee came down with an infection on the fifth day of her life.

Andy Lee told the Browns’ site that the tragedy has given him a new perspective on being a father to the Lees’ two other children and on life in general.

“It’s crazy how life is,” Lee said. “In a way, that’s one of the positive things to come out of it. Life is really fragile even though sometimes you don’t think about it that way.”

– – – – – – –

Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab