Bretsky
05-19-2007, 02:34 PM
Texans running back Ahman Green asked around the locker room before he even approached Jason Simmons. Green wanted to know if he was wasting his time.
He didn't know Simmons well, and, even more importantly, he didn't know how attached the Texans safety was to the No. 30.
"Everybody was like, 'He's a good guy. He's going to work something out with you someway or somehow,' " Green said.
Green, who started wearing 30 even before attending Nebraska, became optimistic but still wasn't sure what it might cost him. The tradition around the NFL is that if you want someone else's number, you pay them.
When Green finally asked, Simmons shocked him.
"He said, 'Sure, but I'd like you to make a down payment on a single-parent home through a foundation or charity,' " Green said. "I was like, 'Yeah I'm all on board. That's easy. Tell me where to write the check to.'
"So instead of putting the money into his pocket, he's going to put in into somebody else's home and help them get their life started."
Simmons had no personal connection to the number 30. He wore 23 for four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. When he arrived in Houston as a free agent before the 2002 season, they handed him 30.
Now, he will wear No. 22.
"It was the first number I saw," Simmons said of 22. "I don't care. Just put me on the field, and I'll play with any number."
No. 30 does mean something to Simmons now, and he also knows it will soon mean something to a worthy family in the community.
Simmons always found it a little ridiculous that players pay each other for certain numbers. But now, he is excited about how that old NFL tradition will be put toward a good cause.
"It's kind of tough for me to take money from another guy," Simmons said. "I don't need that. We'll go out and help the community, because this city has stuck by us. If we can go out and show that we're with the community and we appreciate all that they've done, I think it's a good thing."
He didn't know Simmons well, and, even more importantly, he didn't know how attached the Texans safety was to the No. 30.
"Everybody was like, 'He's a good guy. He's going to work something out with you someway or somehow,' " Green said.
Green, who started wearing 30 even before attending Nebraska, became optimistic but still wasn't sure what it might cost him. The tradition around the NFL is that if you want someone else's number, you pay them.
When Green finally asked, Simmons shocked him.
"He said, 'Sure, but I'd like you to make a down payment on a single-parent home through a foundation or charity,' " Green said. "I was like, 'Yeah I'm all on board. That's easy. Tell me where to write the check to.'
"So instead of putting the money into his pocket, he's going to put in into somebody else's home and help them get their life started."
Simmons had no personal connection to the number 30. He wore 23 for four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. When he arrived in Houston as a free agent before the 2002 season, they handed him 30.
Now, he will wear No. 22.
"It was the first number I saw," Simmons said of 22. "I don't care. Just put me on the field, and I'll play with any number."
No. 30 does mean something to Simmons now, and he also knows it will soon mean something to a worthy family in the community.
Simmons always found it a little ridiculous that players pay each other for certain numbers. But now, he is excited about how that old NFL tradition will be put toward a good cause.
"It's kind of tough for me to take money from another guy," Simmons said. "I don't need that. We'll go out and help the community, because this city has stuck by us. If we can go out and show that we're with the community and we appreciate all that they've done, I think it's a good thing."