Reggie Bush not allowed to wear No. 5 in '06

NFL.com's Vice Carruci is reporting:
The NFL's competition committee decided at the league's owners meeting here it will not recommend a change to the numbering system for jerseys for the '06 season, and it seems unlikely that it would do so for future seasons.

Bush had petitioned the committee to either allow him to wear No. 5, which he wore as a superstar running back at USC, or change the numbering system that requires running backs to wear numbers in the twenties, thirties or forties. Bush, the second overall pick of the draft, is expected to wear a number in the twenties in his rookie season.

The matter will be discussed again during a conference call in two weeks to determine whether it should again be addressed during the owners' October meeting. That would leave the door open to the possibility that Bush's desire to wear No. 5 could be realized in 2007 -- but it is open by only the smallest margin.

"No. 1, no one's comfortable with their making an exception to the policy, because the exceptions just create a problem for every team," said Rich McKay, co-chairman of the league's competition committee.

"No. 2, we're not comfortable recommending any change at this time, because to have something adopted at this time, meaning at this meeting, you would have the difference between the way a rookie's being treated and the way a veteran's being treated, because there's so much in the pipeline with respect to jerseys that there is no way a veteran would be in the position to change his jersey number."

McKay, who is the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, added that "there's no real sentiment" among members of the competition committee to indicate that there ever would be a change in the jersey numbering system.  Link

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