Jayden Daniels sends LSU cease-and-desist over No. 5 jersey given to DJ Pickett

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has filed a cease-and-desist letter against LSU, ordering the program to stop using his name, image and likeness after the Tigers assigned his former No. 5 jersey to sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett for the upcoming season.

ESPN obtained a copy of the letter, which was sent Wednesday and described Daniels as feeling 'profoundly disrespected' by the program's decision. The cease-and-desist demands LSU halt any use of Daniels' NIL rights going forward.

Profoundly disrespected.

— Jayden Daniels, on LSU's decision to give No. 5 to DJ Pickett, per ESPN

Background on the dispute

Daniels wore No. 5 during his two seasons in Baton Rouge, where he developed into one of college football's most decorated players. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2023 before being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft and joining Washington. LSU is among the few programs to have produced multiple Heisman Trophy winners.

The decision to issue the jersey to Pickett, a cornerback, appears to have caught Daniels and his representatives off guard. While programs regularly retire or redistribute numbers at their own discretion, Daniels' legal action signals a belief that LSU's use of imagery and branding tied to the No. 5 implicates his NIL rights.

LSU has not publicly responded to the cease-and-desist as of Wednesday night. The dispute represents an emerging area of tension in college athletics, where former players increasingly assert control over how their identities are commercialized by programs after their eligibility ends. Whether the two sides can resolve the matter without further legal escalation remains to be seen.