Nnamdi Asomugha Offers Teammate $24K for His Jersey Number, Gets Rejected

What's in a number?

A lot of pride and cash, judging by a recent offer extended by Nnamdi Asomugha.

According to Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area, the San Francisco 49ers cornerback recently threw $24,000 down on the table in an attempt to buy teammate Anthony Dixon’s No. 24 jersey.

Dixon’s response? Thanks, but no thanks.

The running back refused the money, opting to hold onto the number he and Asomugha shared during the team’s summer training camp. The team’s 90-man roster forced several players to double up, as there were apparently only so many jersey numbers.

But the team has now been winnowed down to the standard 53-man roster, which prompted Asomugha’s offer.

“We tried to go $24K for 24, but I told him, ‘No, I’m going to keep my 24,” Dixon told reporters Tuesday. 

While it may be difficult for some to comprehend turning down thousands of dollars for an aesthetic label, many players hold onto their jersey numbers as totems of luck and personal identity. It’s a part of their career they had to earn and protect.

“I worked hard to get that number when I first got here,” Dixon said. “I worked hard to get it off somebody else. I’ve been No. 24 since high school and college.”

While $24,000 isn’t an astronomical figure for a professional football player, it’s still a solid chunk for Dixon, who will make $630,000 over the course of 2013-14 season.

Money isn’t the object here, however, and the number will stay with Dixon. Asomugha, on the other hand, will be wearing No. 28.

Everyone can be bought, or so they say, but it’s obvious that some men have a number higher than the asking price on a Mini Cooper. 

Join me on Twitter—I’ll sell out for a pack of Sour Straws.

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