Giants take number out of retirement for rookie

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — The New York Giants are putting their first retired number back into service for sensational rookie receiver Malik Nabers.

The Giants announced Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) that Nabers will wear No. 1 this season.

The number was retired by the Giants in 1935, coinciding with the retirement of end Ray Flaherty. It was the first number retired in pro football history.

THE FUTURE New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers greets fans after playing against the Detroit Lions in an NFL football game on Aug. 8, 2024, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. AP PHOTO

The decision came after talks between Giants co-owner and chief executive John Mara and Ray Flaherty Jr., the team said.

Nabers wore No. 9 since being drafted, but the LSU product needed a different number because punter Graham Gano is No. 9. He wore No. 8 at LSU, but that belongs to quarterback Daniel Jones.

“I’m going to represent their family’s retired number well,” Nabers said in a statement released by the team. “I’m going to try my best. I’m grateful that they chose the opportunity to un-retire the jersey and let me wear it. I’m going to wear it with pride.”

Nabers refused to speak to the media in the locker room after practice Wednesday. A team spokesman said the No. 6 overall pick in the draft would talk Thursday.

The Giants said Nabers had asked Mara whether the number night be used again and the owner asked the surviving members of Flaherty’s family. The co-owner said he would not have approved activating the number without the approval of Ray Jr., daughter Shelby, and sons Chad and Conner.

Flaherty was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976 as a coach. He played for the Giants from 1928-29 and 1931-35 and helped them advance to the NFL Championship Game in 1933, 1934 and 1935. Flaherty, who introduced the screen pass, finished with an 80-37-5 record as a coach with Boston, Washington, New York Yankees, and Chicago Hornets. He won two titles with Washington. He died in 1994.