On this football Sunday, there’s just one number representing any significance—no thanks to Olu Fashanu, who innocently and randomly stands by.
The New York Jets’ Week 10 matchup against the Cleveland Browns is the team’s first game without Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. It’s also the team’s first home game since one of the franchise’s all-time fan favorites left us entirely too early.
Nick Mangold, who passed away at 41 in late October due to kidney disease, was honored by the organization before Week 11’s matchup at MetLife Stadium.
The festivities included a video tribute, a massive Mangold banner in the stands (behind one of the end zones), another banner with Nol. 74 that was held on the field, alongside the American Flag, and a special guest speaker in the form of another Jets legend.
Along with plenty of other familiar faces, including Leon Washington, D’Brickashaw Ferguson was also on hand. It was Ferguson who had the honor of speaking about his former teammate, with whom he worked in the nostalgic Rex Ryan ground-and-pound days.
Brick also joined the Jets’ pre-game crew to share his thoughts on the man of the moment.
The current Jets donned special Mangold shirts for the day:
Even New York Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist was on hand to partake in the remembrance. At one point in the second quarter, the stadium’s video boards featured Lundqvist in a split shot with a picture of Mangold screaming at an opposing bench while cheering on the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
The Mangold family was also on hand. His wife, Jennifer, and four children, Matthew, Eloise, Thomas, and Charlotte, walked to midfield to serve as the honorary captains for the coin toss.
Rest in peace, Nick Mangold.
