The New York Giants kick off a landmark season on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. To mark the occasion, those in attendance will include Commissioner Roger Goodell and rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers.
“It usually starts with requests, if there’s a big moment,” Goodell told the Pat McAfee Show Wednesday, explaining how he selects the games he attends. “I’m coming back from Brazil for the Giants game because it’s the start of the 100th season. They asked if I’d come out there. Teams are celebrating different things during the season so I try to get around to as many stadiums … I’ll probably get to 27 or 28 games this year.”
Goodell will see Nabers, the Giants’ first-round selection (sixth overall), make his NFL debut against Brian Flores and the Minnesota defense (1 p.m. ET, FOX). The commissioner also will see Giants history.
After the 1935 season, in a historic moment in league annals, the Giants became the first NFL team to retire a uniform number, the No. 1 worn by Pro Football Hall of Famer Ray Flaherty.
But Nabers received permission from Flaherty’s family, and the Giants unretired the number to allow Nabers to wear it on Sunday.
“I’m going to represent their family’s retired number well,” Nabers told Michael Eisen of Giants.com. “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.”
Giants president and CEO John Mara, who will host Goodell on Sunday, told Eisen he gave it a lot of thought, would not have done it without the Flaherty family’s approval and wanted to use the occasion to spotlight Flaherty’s contributions.
“I also thought it would allow us to at least educate people as to who Ray Flaherty was,” Mara said, “because he played in the 1930s, and I’m sure that most of our fans have no idea who he was. This all took place today and we’re very grateful to the Flaherty family and I told them that the number would go back to being retired after Malik’s career, which hopefully will last many years, is over.”
Nabers isn’t just any rookie. Part of an LSU fraternity that includes NFL receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, Nabers surpassed 3,000 career receiving yards in his three college seasons.