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INSIDE THE NFL
Chris Harry Some people call him Maurice
Published June 4, 2006
Running back Reggie Bush wanted to wear No. 5 for the New Orleans Saints -- the same number he had in college -- and the league said no.
Running back Maurice Drew wants the name on the back of his Jacksonville Jaguars to read Jones-Drew -- honoring his late grandfather -- and it appears the NFL will say yes.
The difference? A birth certificate.
Turns out Drew, who was known as "Maurice Drew" during most of his three seasons at UCLA, really isn't Maurice Drew. The name on his birth certificate is Maurice Jones-Drew.
It's the birth certificate that the NFL office honors, so Jones-Drew will have his jersey request honored. But as with many things NFL, this is an all-or-nothing proposition.
Under NFL guidelines, the Jags, who plan to put Jones-Drew on the back of his No. 32 jersey, must refer to him as "Jones-Drew" in everything they do. He'll be Jones-Drew on the roster. He'll be Jones-Drew in the media guide. He'll be Jones-Drew on cards, pictures and posters.
The Jags have another idea.
"I think," team spokesman Dan Edwards said, "a lot of people here are going to call him Maurice."
For now, Maurice is still Drew -- Maurice Christopher Drew -- in the Los Angeles Criminal Court system. He was one of three former UCLA players charged in connection with an assault on a man at a Denny's in Westwood, Calif., in April. Through his attorney, Drew has denied he was involved in the incident.
The human side to all of this is that Jones-Drew dearly misses his grandfather, Maurice Jones, who died last fall. During the Jags' mandatory minicamp last month -- the only team practices he was permitted to attend until UCLA holds graduation ceremonies next weekend -- he discovered how challenging the NFL can be without his family spokesman around.
Jones-Drew used to talk to his grandfather every day, sharing his experiences from school and from football. His grandfather then spread his grandson's news throughout the family. Now that job falls back to Jones-Drew. During his only minicamp, his off-time was spent on the cellphone with various relatives in California.
"Now it's multiple calls. It's a little bit tougher," Jones-Drew said. "[One] night, I talked to about 20 different people: my aunts, uncles, mom, dad, my cousins and my grandmother. I had to keep retelling the stories over and over again about practice."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/football/orl-nflinsider0406jun04,0,3228814.column?coll=orl-sports-football
Chris Harry Some people call him MauricePublished June 4, 2006
Running back Reggie Bush wanted to wear No. 5 for the New Orleans Saints -- the same number he had in college -- and the league said no.
Running back Maurice Drew wants the name on the back of his Jacksonville Jaguars to read Jones-Drew -- honoring his late grandfather -- and it appears the NFL will say yes.
The difference? A birth certificate.
Turns out Drew, who was known as "Maurice Drew" during most of his three seasons at UCLA, really isn't Maurice Drew. The name on his birth certificate is Maurice Jones-Drew.
It's the birth certificate that the NFL office honors, so Jones-Drew will have his jersey request honored. But as with many things NFL, this is an all-or-nothing proposition.
Under NFL guidelines, the Jags, who plan to put Jones-Drew on the back of his No. 32 jersey, must refer to him as "Jones-Drew" in everything they do. He'll be Jones-Drew on the roster. He'll be Jones-Drew in the media guide. He'll be Jones-Drew on cards, pictures and posters.
The Jags have another idea.
"I think," team spokesman Dan Edwards said, "a lot of people here are going to call him Maurice."
For now, Maurice is still Drew -- Maurice Christopher Drew -- in the Los Angeles Criminal Court system. He was one of three former UCLA players charged in connection with an assault on a man at a Denny's in Westwood, Calif., in April. Through his attorney, Drew has denied he was involved in the incident.
The human side to all of this is that Jones-Drew dearly misses his grandfather, Maurice Jones, who died last fall. During the Jags' mandatory minicamp last month -- the only team practices he was permitted to attend until UCLA holds graduation ceremonies next weekend -- he discovered how challenging the NFL can be without his family spokesman around.
Jones-Drew used to talk to his grandfather every day, sharing his experiences from school and from football. His grandfather then spread his grandson's news throughout the family. Now that job falls back to Jones-Drew. During his only minicamp, his off-time was spent on the cellphone with various relatives in California.
"Now it's multiple calls. It's a little bit tougher," Jones-Drew said. "[One] night, I talked to about 20 different people: my aunts, uncles, mom, dad, my cousins and my grandmother. I had to keep retelling the stories over and over again about practice."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/football/orl-nflinsider0406jun04,0,3228814.column?coll=orl-sports-football