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Shutdown Corner - NFL

Shutdown Corner

Fri Dec 23 04:05pm EST

Donovan McNabb never paid punter for wearing his No. 5 jersey

By Chris Chase

Donovan McNabb never paid punter for wearing his No. 5 jerseyWhen Donovan McNabb signed with the Minnesota Vikings, he asked longtime punter Chris Kluwe if he could take his No. 5 jersey. McNabb had worn the number since college and wanted to continue the tradition.

Kluwe said yes, with some strings attached. The punter would give McNabb the number he had worn in Minnesota since 2005 provided McNabb did a few things for it. The quarterback would have to mention Kluwe's band, "Tripping Icarus" at least five times in interviews and would donate $5,000 to Kluwe's Kick for a Cure charity.

By the time McNabb was released earlier this month, he has only mentioned the band twice and had yet to donate to the muscular dystrophy charity.

"[Getting the money] would be the major thing," Kluwe told VikingsUpdate.com. "Tripping Icarus got the publicity we needed. That was fine, two mentions is more than enough. The $5,000 for Kick for a Cure would definitely be appreciated."

Though McNabb has been released, Kluwe may not be able to wear his No. 5 until 2013. NFL rules state that a player can't change numbers in consecutive years unless he's willing to buy out the stock of jersey available. Kluwe told the website that he thinks he may be able to wiggle out of that requirement, since Kluwe jerseys aren't exactly hot sellers.

"Plus, this way, now you get to unload all the Donovan jerseys and people can tape over those," Kluwe said. "It will be a win-win."

Pay up, Donovan. Your time in Minnesota was bad enough, don't add to it by reneging on a charity.

Thanks, Larry Brown Sports

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