BATON ROUGE – Former LSU football quarterback Jayden Daniels issued a statement via his Instagram page in response to the cease-and-desist letter his attorneys sent to LSU coming to light late Aug. 12. Daniels' camp informed LSU in a letter dated Aug. 5 that it no longer has rights to use his name, image and likeness. Adam Kenner, Daniels' attorney, stated in the correspondence to LSU Athletics Director Verge Ausberry that per the quarterback's NIL deal with LSU that it lost rights to use his NIL 180 days following his departure from the university. On his social media Aug. 13, Daniels issued a statement saying he hopes the "issues" between LSU and his team will get worked out privately. DJ PICKETT ON WEARING NO. 5 What LSU football's DJ Pickett said about Jayden Daniels' No. 5 jersey saga "I have been locked in on training camp and that's been my number one focus," Daniels wrote Thursday. "I have a lot of gratitude for my time at LSU and I'm proud of what my teammates and I accomplished there. Obviously there are issues to be worked out between my team and LSU and my hope is that it will get done privately. "My sole personal focus is on (Washington) Commanders' football. I realize the business of football is unique and I trust this can all be resolved."
Daniels' representation told ESPN the cease-and-desist letter is a direct response to LSU allowing sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett to wear No. 5 this season, the first to have worn the jersey number since Daniels in 2024. "The Daniels' family is deeply disappointed and feels profoundly disrespected by LSU's decision to give Jayden's number to another player," the statement to ESPN reportedly said. "Jayden and his family had every reason to believe that his number would remain a meaningful part of his LSU legacy and would be honored and protected in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the university." At his media availability after LSU's practice Thursday, Pickett said No. 5 holds great meaning for him. "About the number situation, I've worn the number my whole life since I was 4 years old," Pickett told media members following LSU's fall camp practice Aug. 13. "It was the number I was promised. Yeah, I wish Jayden the best. A good player, he did real good here. So that's all." First-year Tigers coach Lane Kiffin told reporters last week that he found out that No. 5 was promised to Pickett during his recruitment process and he believed that request should be honored. "DJ is in (5) and that was a situation that was promised to him in recruiting here for him to sign here," first-year LSU coach Lane Kiffin said earlier in fall camp. "I've done a lot of research on that with the family and the representatives and the people, so really I didn't have a decision to make. It was promised to the kid. It wasn't done for whatever. I'm not going to get into that. "I'm not going to judge something I wasn't here for but when the kid is promised something to come to school, he should wear it. He should be honored what he was told so he's wearing it." Pickett has been wearing No. 5 since fall camp opened last week. He wore No. 3 during spring practice. Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Jayden Daniels issues statement LSU's DJ Pickett wearing No. 5 jersey