When the New York Giants drafted Kayvon Thibodeaux with the 5th overall selection, that wasn’t the only No. 5 he was going to steal. Thibodeaux had his eyes set on acquiring the No. 5 jersey, which kicker Graham Gano previously owned before they struck a deal to exchange the number.
Gano transitioned to No. 5 from No. 6 after his first year with the New York Giants, spending multiple seasons with the Carolina Panthers as the No. 9. He enjoyed his lone Pro Bowl season wearing that number, so he’s preparing to transition back and grab some of that good luck.
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“When he said he was willing to give to that, I can be No. 9 and maybe in 10-15 years when he retires and I’m still kicking, I can get No. 5 back,” joked the 35-year-old Gano, who also wore No. 9 during his Pro Bowl run in Carolina, per Giants.com. “The opportunity to give to something is exciting, and the number is obviously very special to Kayvon. While it is special to me as well, there’s a whole lot of meaning in that No. 5 to him. I just wanted to be a good teammate and also be able to support others throughout the whole process.”
In exchange for 5, Thibodeau offered $50K to Gano, who chose a great charity to donate the money to, spreading positivity instead of taking it for himself.
“I feel like it was where the money that Kayvon was donating would be able to make the largest impact and help the most people throughout him giving that money,” Gano said. “The whole idea behind the number five being special to myself and being special to Kayvon was being able to help five people get the five dogs and be able to make an impact in five people’s lives for the better. That was the whole goal behind that. I’m really excited about it.”