Bentley's plan to wear '00' gets 86'd by Raiders' Otto
Uniform No. 00, made sacred by Raiders legend Jim Otto, is staying safe on the shelf for another season. That's just the way Otto wants it. No, it's the way he demands it.
Cleveland Browns center LeCharles Bentley petitioned the NFL to change its strict policy on uniform numbers so he could bring "00" out of hibernation and pay homage to Otto. The NFL said no last month, opting not to alter its number system and consequently denying the fellow request of New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush to suit up in his USC No. 5.
Otto called Bentley's "00" pursuit "ridiculous." Then came stronger words from the Hall of Fame center, whose "00" became ingrained in Raiders lore via his 1960-74 playing career.
"To let him wear my number, that I built into a legacy, all it takes is one ounce of coke up his nose and that legacy is gone," Otto said last week in Livermore at a Raiders' golf tournament benefiting Special Olympics.
"I don't know who he is. I played 15 years with the Raiders. He's played, what, three or four years in New Orleans? What kind of legacy would he give double zero? I don't think he should wear it and I don't think anyone in the NFL should wear it."
Otto didn't seem to be implying that Bentley is a drug user, rather Otto was pointing out how a foolish act could damage the "00" image he worked so hard to build. Otto holds the franchise record with 210 consecutive starts and played in 308 games if you count preseason, playoff and all-star games.
Bentley is no slouch, though. He's made the Pro Bowl in two of his four seasons, all of which were with the Saints. A second-round draft pick out of Ohio State, Bentley played two seasons at right guard before returning to his natural spot at center.
"In terms of who LeCharles is, you can make a strong argument he's the best center in the NFL. I don't think he'd tarnish the image (of "00")," Bentley's agent, Neil Schwartz said. "He'd enhance the image and explain the story of 'OO' to kids. Kids today might not know who Jim Otto is. If anything, Charles would know the responsibility of what it would mean to wear 'OO.'"
Bentley, a Cleveland native, wore a "00" Browns jersey at his introductory press conference in March after signing a six-year, $36 million deal, touted as the richest ever for a center. He's also had "00" over his locker this offseason, even though he's No. 57 on the team's Web site.
Bentley turned down an interview request, as he's done with Cleveland-area reporters regarding the jersey issue.
An NFL spokesman said Bentley would not even be allowed to wear "00" in exhibition games because of the league's jersey-numbering system, which began in 1973. The system forbids anyone from wearing "00" or "0," so if you want those numbers, hit the roulette table. The last player to wear "00" was wide receiver Kenny Burrough, who played from 1970-81 and was grandfathered to wear the goose eggs since he had that number prior to 1973.
The NFL's competition committee recommended against number changes for this season but might look into it again in October, committee co-chair Rich McKay said at last month's owners' meeting in Denver.
"There's no real sentiment yet on the committee that there will ever be a change of the system or that there's any need to have a change," McKay said.
Offensive linemen are assigned numbers 50 to 79.
While Bush's quest -- or that of his marketers -- drew most of the attention regarding the jersey-number policy, the decision to keep "OO" out of reach shouldn't be forgotten, nor should Otto's legacy.
Otto, whose No. 00 reflected his palindromic name, relayed his strong feelings about his jersey number to Schwartz and declined to speak with Bentley about it.
Schwartz makes a strong case that Bentley has only the best intentions to wear "00," something Bentley conveyed before free agency.
Schwartz said Bentley told him: "One thing to negotiate is I want to wear '00' and I need management to support me on it. When I was younger, I was a huge Cleveland Browns fan. But I grew up watching NFL Films, and me being an offensive lineman, Jim Otto is who I wanted to represent."
Schwartz said the Browns backed Bentley, and he still holds out hope that Bentley someday will wear "00" so that another generation of fans can recognize Otto's body of work.
It's Otto's war-torn body, however, that gives him the right to fight for his number -- his "00" -- and defend it the way a Hall of Fame lineman protects a quarterback.
