Giants' Sterling Shepard changed jersey number to honor late father

Earlier this month, New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard declared via social media he was taking advantage of the new NFL rule that allows wide receivers and players at other positions to wear single-digit numbers starting with the 2021 season, and switching from No. 87 to No. 3. 

While Shepard rocked No. 3 playing for the Oklahoma Sooners, he explained Thursday that his late father, Derrick Shepard, also wore the number at the University of Oklahoma. 

"It's something that means a lot to me," he said, according to Dan Salomone of the club's website. "It's been a number that I've been since I was a little kid, after my father passed. He wore No. 3 in college. That's something that meant a lot to me, a lot to his teammates. I wanted to carry that on. When I came into the league, you couldn't get single digits. Whenever the rule changed, I was happy to grab that." 

According to The Oklahoman, Derrick Shepard died Aug. 4, 1999, from a heart attack at the age of 35. He played 36 games in the NFL with Washington, the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.