Timmy Jernigan changed his number from 97 to 99 this year to honor NFL legend Warren Sapp, who wasn’t exactly on board with that move.
The Baltimore Ravens tweeted out this message on Thursday:
Timmy Jernigan has changed his number to 99 as a tribute to @WarrenSapp.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 26, 2016
The Baltimore Sun featured a column by Jake Lourim on this topic in which Jernigan elaborated on why he’s making the switch.
“Just the way he played the game—nasty, ferocious—he came every play. You definitely knew he was there when he made a play.”
Sapp must not be high on Jernigan being able to replicate his play. He responded with this:
how do I stop this??
— Warren Sapp (@WarrenSapp) May 26, 2016
Jernigan hasn’t been terrible in his first two seasons as a pro since being selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He’s tallied eight sacks and 62 tackles, starting 11 games.
Maybe Sapp could give him just a bit more time?