Broncos Forums > Football Forums > Broncos Talk > Moreno's request for jersey No. 27 OK'd
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Den21vsBal19
I like this..........Moreno could have probably just asked for the number, but to ask Darrent's mom shows a bit of class :salute:
Denver Post (http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_12276826)
The Broncos are returning No. 27 to the field.
Last worn Dec. 31, 2006, by cornerback Darrent Williams, the number will go to running back Knowshon Moreno, the Broncos' first draft choice.
Moreno personally called Rosalind Williams, Darrent's mother, earlier this week to ask if he could wear the number. Rosalind gave her blessing.Darrent Williams was killed in a drive-by shooting Jan. 1, 2007, hours after playing in the Broncos' final regular-season game.
Moreno wore No. 24 at the University of Georgia, but that number belongs to Champ Bailey with the Broncos.
Moreno first met Rosalind in mid-February when he was choosing an agent. Rosalind was endorsing Darrent's agent, Jeffrey Griffin, who has helped her through her on's tragedy. Although Moreno ultimately picked agent Tom Condon, the running back was touched enough by his meeting with Rosalind to seek her approval before wearing No. 27.
Mike Klis, The Denver Post
drewloc
Just shows that Knowshon is a pretty upstanding guy. Good find! :salute:
Spot on class!
He should have asked Atwater. Williams was just a fart in the wind to this team, and shouldnt had any influence on #27 at all.
Atwater was the man and the number should have been retired IMO. But, going to DW's mom was classy period. It shows respect for a fallen Broncos player that IMO would have been a multiple time pro bowler by now.
broncfn90
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_12276826
Moreno personally called Rosalind Williams, Darrent's mother, earlier this week to ask if he could wear the number. Rosalind gave her blessing. Darrent Williams was killed in a drive-by shooting Jan. 1, 2007, hours after playing in the Broncos' final regular-season game.
Moreno first met Rosalind in mid-February when he was choosing an agent. Rosalind was endorsing Darrent's agent, Jeffrey Griffin, who has helped her through her son's tragedy. Although Moreno ultimately picked agent Tom Condon, the running back was touched enough by his meeting with Rosalind to seek her approval before wearing No. 27.
Northman
Very classy. Nice job Knowshon.
oh my bad did not see the other thread
Although i agree that the number has more meaning and history with my second favorite player in Atwater i do think it was the right move to ask Darrent's mother for permission considering he was the last too wear it.
No problem, mate..................merged :salute:
I can't wait to see this kid run....I'm already admiring him as a person.
Ravage!!!
Come on clay. I've been the one that keeps reminding people how Darrent was constantly beat and wasn't as good of a corner as people TRY and make him be due to his tragic death.
However.... we all know the circumstances surrounding that number now, and the recent history to that tragedy. We know its not a retired number, and as GEM said "he could have just taken the number".... so it wasn't a matter of HAVING to, or doing it because of the greatness that Darrent was as a player.... but PURELY out of respect for those that were family members of a son, brother, cousin that was taken away by murder.
You HAVE to see what a classy sentiment that phone call was.
oobehr
Who cares how good of a player he was, the guy was shot down and murdered, if his playing ability was that bad that you have to look past the loss of a human life then you are too into the game.
atwater27
Can anyone tell me why in the hell Steve's # was never retired? I'll never get over this.
What makes a number worthy of retirement?? I've never watched Frank Tripica #18 or Floyd Little #44but I assume they were the pioneers of BRONCO football that's why their numbers were retired and as far as John Elway #7 is concerned 'well, he's a legend in BRONCOS nation.' Just because a BRONCO is in the Ring of Fame doesn't necessarily mean his number needs to be retired.
Steve Atwater is the greatest defender ever to play in a Broncos uni, and one of the greatest (and most feared) safeties of all time. His number should have been retired a long time ago. This shouldn't even be a debate.
At the risk of stirring up a hornets nest (not my intent) I don't think anyone should wear it, retired or not, though if D-Wills mom is OK with it I'm not going to say, "BOO!"
He was a fine corner, btw, and that's from someone who always liked Foxworth better on the field (we could sure use him now, eh...?) The way I heard it, of the CBs taken in that draft (Foxworth, Paymah and D-Will) Darrent had the least physical tools to work with but produced the most on the field, which tells you something about him, IMHO.
Sure, he got burned sometimes. EVERY CB gets burned, especially the ones who like to go for the TO instead of shutdown coverage, an affliction from which MOST CBs suffer. Sometimes I wonder about that "make up" speed of Champs, for example; how can a guy get that much separation and then not be able to maintain it? Is it maybe because Champ's not quite as "beaten" as he wants QBs to think he is...? ;)
I do know he kept us in the last game I'll ever see him play when we gave Arizona the ball practically on our goal line. He was very young, but very good, and only going to get better around Champ and Lynch. He wasn't perfect, but he was pretty good, and by all accounts a good person, increasingly rare in the NFL, sadly.
Note this isn't a shot at anyone responding here, it's props to D-Will. Again, I didn't want to see anyone else wear that number again; again, if his mom's cool with it so am I.
I love Steve Atwater.... but his number sh ouldn't be retired. We can't retire every number of every player we love. Shannon Sharpe's number should be retired before Atwaters. We can't retire 27, 84,30, 56, 80 simply because we love those players.
I understand that people have an association with numbers that play in the orange and blue.... but there is only ONE name people think of when they think of the Broncos, and that is why 7 is retired.
He was a thug. I dont mourn gang bangers. If I feel bad for someones mom, its going to be Damien Nash's mom.
There was other players that died that same year as well.
There are players, every year, that die in the NFL. Mostly unheard of names, but its not uncommon for a tragic death to occur to a football player in the offseason. Just as it happened this year with the kid from Minnesota lost out in sea.
But just like any mourning.... you move on. Darrant has a plaque that will permanently be kept at the Broncos stadium in memory. After that, we as fans, just as the family, must move on.
honz
:tsk: DWill was not a thug.
As for Moreno wearing 27...a number is just a number and DWill will be remembered in our hearts regardless of who wears #27 in the future. However, I have no doubt that Moreno will indeed represent that number well.
I agree! That's why I ask what makes a number worthy of retirement?? Atwater was candy to the eyes of a former DB as myself and I wished I could of been like him in my days of playing! But he's not at the status of Elway and as I said before I haven't a clue why #18 or #44 is retired because I didn't watch them or really know much about them.
I think it's a solid debate about a number being worthy of retirement, but IMO they'd have to be legendary and so for only one man fits that and it's Elway!!
There are only 99 numbers you are allowed to wear so you can't retire too many numbers or else you will run out.
especially when certain positions can only wear certain numbers. Which is why the NFL had to expand the numbers to the 'teens' since some teams retired too many numbers in the 80s, and didn't have enough to outfit all their receivers.
The NFL has actually started being more strict as to the numbers being retired as well. I believe Dallas is the team that retired to many numbers in the 80s.
(I personally hate the look of the 'teens' at WRs in the NFL... it looks like college)
Randomtask
Darrent Williams was not a gangbanger. Where the hell are you getting that idea? He worked with kids to keep them OUT of gangs. That certainly screams gangbanger. He was shot for a fight at Kenyon Martin's birthday that he wasn't even involved in.
Seriously, where did you get that idea?
Chicago has a baker's dozen retired, and the Giants have 6 numbers below 20 retired.
FWIW, Dallas don't have any retired numbers
Retired Numbers (http://www.nfl.com/history/retirednumbers)
And to think Pittsburgh only has one!
And there have been no Faiders worthy of having their number retired :lol:
You didn't see him flashing wads of cash and gang signs with his homies on his myspace page, did you? He may have not been an actual thug, but he sure liked to hang out with and pose like one.
His tattoos, pictures of him with his gang cohorts throwing signs, the music he produced and promoted, and the tattoos that he had.
Its all there on the internet. Allot has been removed, especially from his myspace page. But there are pics, videos etc out there for you to form your own decision.
Maybe he lived a lifestyle that some disagree with, but he was not a thug. Thugs don't start their own community centers...period.
BroncoWave
What gang-related activity was Williams ever arrested for?
Lots of people put on the act of the lifestyle but not all of them are out there gangbanging, shooting people up, and doing actual gang-related incidents.
Actually if anything I think Marshall was the instigator of the incident..
getlynched47
Moreno is a classless thug. Just look at the kind of rules he breaks:
http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper871/documents/p943507i.pdf
(I'm kidding :lol:)
Very classy guy, very down to earth, and a very good runningback. I can't wait to see him in orange and blue with 27 :werd:
Maybe he lived a lifestyle that some disagree with, but he was not a thug. Thug's don't start their own community centers...period.
How many of these centers did Darrent williams open? I know of zero...... The only one I know of was opened a year after he died. I think the Broncos put up the fundage.
Lots of people put on the act of the lifestyle but not all of them are out there gangbanging, shooting people up, and doing actual gang-related incidents.You dont have to shoot someone to be in a gang. You only have to represent them, and help them out from time to time. Especially if you made it big like DW did.
You dont have to shoot someone to be in a gang. You only have to represent them, and help them out from time to time. Especially if you made it big like DW did.
And unless you have proof of this happening you're just pulling the assumption out of your ass. Like I said, many people act out the "thug" lifestyle but that doesn't automatically mean they are part of a gang. Way to generalize!
T.K.O.
R.I.P.:salute:
There are multiple pictures of him in the center of like 30 dudes, all of them flashing gang signs, and DW flashing money. WTF does that tell you!
An assumption in this case would be that he wasnt involved in a gang. I formed my decision on this with facts and evidence.
There is a difference.
At the very least........ Williams was a retard to remain freinds with these guys.
Maybe so. I was thinking that DWill was already involved in the project before his death, but maybe I am mistaken. Even if that is so, why would Foxy, Champ, and others speak so highly of this "gangbanger" and dedicate a community center in his name? Would anyone do the same for Pacman Jones? Brandon Marshall? Chad Johns...er, Ochocinco? I never heard anything but good things about DWill. Was he ever arrested or in trouble with the law? I don't recall anything of the sort.
OrangeHoof
Steve Atwater is the greatest defender ever to play in a Broncos uni
Not to start a flame war but Denver's best defensive player of all-time is a multiple choice question. Besides Atwater, there are those who would say Randy Gradishar, Louis Wright, Richard "Tombstone" Jackson, Tom Jackson or Karl Mecklenberg might have that honor. Since many of those careers overlapped, it is hard to say even whether some players benefited from the presence of some of the others.
Atwater either gave D-Will his blessing to wear the number or didn't care. After that, I think it was classy for Moreno to clear it with D-Will's mother. I think he did that *not* because he wanted to honor Williams but because he didn't want Williams' mom to get upset seeing her son's number carrying the football all afternoon if she wasn't ready to move on from it.
Two years of mourning is enough time for the rest of us. #27 ought to be back on the field and it might make the Williams' family smile a little bit every time they see it crossing the goal line.
http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/10/l_f96e0abdff6c4239865b99ee3db48f78.jpg
http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/2/l_2170936a0a4e44bbaf433a7e2ebf5366.jpg
http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/56/l_81e5c42716734949b06c6687f68de6a2.jpg
http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/42/l_9f31ae85c0a570320ab43109eeaffd12.jpg
http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/26/l_902c0e2e044714aaad59f69272e9d98c.jpg
http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/16/l_07685bdd86e37bf22bcd7065a5a4de32.jpg
BRONCO DARRENT WILLIAMS UNVEILS "RAC ROOM" (http://denver.yourhub.com/Denver/Stories/News/About-Town/Story~37973.aspx)
so if someone posted a picture of you at a bar,could we all conclude your an alcoholic?
Maybe so. I was thinking that DWill was already involved in the project before his death, but maybe I am mistaken. Even if that is so, why Foxy, Champ, and other speak so highly of this "gangbanger" and dedicate a community center in his name? Would anyone do the same for Pacman Jones? Brandon Marshall? Chad Johns...er, Ochocinco? I never heard anything but good things about DWill. Was he ever arrested or in trouble with the law? I don't recall anything of the sort.
What else would they say? That he deserved it?
I think all the sympathy that was displayed was because of how the death occurred. Or maybe they opened the teen center because they knew... Or possibly it helped players like Marshall get some closure... I dont really know.
Marcus Nash died a much more tragic death IMO. Little was said or done in that instance. So I cant answer your question as to what players would do for each other.
you can conclude that by reading his posts.
Can we please go back to discussing about Moreno, and not whether Darrent Williams was a thug?
Damn...........
damien, clay. his name was damien. :tsk:
Hitler must have been a great guy to.
http://www.fpp.co.uk/Hitler/images/children/Bernile_Nienau/Hitler_and_Bernile_2.jpg
Ridiculous comparison. But, If you saw me in multiple pic's with skin heads, at clan rallies, I had tattoos with racist stuff, and I produced and promoted hate music, It would be reasonable for you to think I was a racist.
your whole argument is based on photos, dumbass.
My bad. :tsk:
Thats all we have to go by. And the picture of hitler proves that bad men can take nice photos.
As to D-Will and gangs, it was said he grew up in a gang-riddled area of Fort Worth, TX. While football became a way to keep him out of a gang, he was raised in - and no doubt many of his friends were in - the gang culture of his neighborhood. To not look like a gangbanger in some of these neighborhoods was to guarantee that you'd be picked on by those in the gangs.
Let's say that you were born and raised in an Arab culture that was strongly Muslim. You didn't believe in it, but everyone you knew dressed like Muslims and behaved like Muslims because they didn't want to be the subject of ridicule and threats by the Muslims. I think that's where D-Will was. He was once into the gangs as a youth and football became his way out of it. But that doesn't mean he stopped dressing or partying like a gangbanger because, to him, that's how everyone in his sphere of influence dressed and behaved.
If he didnt believe in it, he wouldnt have continued to live the lifestyle after he was rich and famous and thousands of miles away.
Preacher put Williams on right path (http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_4753155)
You obviously didn't click this the first time. (http://denver.yourhub.com/Denver/Stories/News/About-Town/Story~37973.aspx)
Williams: I do that a lot here. What I want to do this offseason is go back home and talk to kids. It's hard back there because of all the violence, drugs. It's right there in your face. When I was growing up, there'd be people doing drugs right there in front of us kids. I just want to tell them they don't have to be like that. Believe in yourself.
Yes, he grew up in that lifestyle, but he outgrew it and made it his mission to help kids avoid the same fate. he WAS active in charity before being murdered, and it wasn't to save face. you're wrong clay.
tattoos and rap music don't make you a gang-banger.
Superchop 7
On January 1, 2007, Williams was shot during a drive-by shooting, at approximately 2:10 A.M. Williams and two other passengers were shot when another vehicle pulled beside his rented Hummer H2 limousine in downtown Denver, Colorado. The shooting occurred near 11th Ave. and Speer Blvd. It happened less than 12 hours after the Broncos played their final game of the 2006 season against the San Francisco 49ers in Denver.[3]
Williams had been attending a New Year's Eve party and birthday party held for and by Denver Nuggets player Kenyon Martin at the nightclub, "The Shelter." The Denver Police Department reported that the shooting was preceded by some type of altercation or argument at the nightclub between Crips gang members and other unknown patrons. A police spokesman said, "There was some confrontation between a group of people in the vehicle and a group at the nightclub."[2][4] Williams was not involved in the altercation.
According to the county coroner's office, Williams sustained a single gunshot wound to the neck, killing him instantly. [5] After Williams was shot, he fell in the lap of Broncos teammate, Javon Walker. He was pronounced dead around 2:30 a.m. The two other passengers injured in the shooting, Brandon Flowers and Nicole Reindl, were both released from the hospital the day after the shooting.[6]
[edit] Aftermath
Denver police impounded a vehicle in connection with the shooting. The suspected vehicle was registered to Brian Hicks, a 28-year-old Crips gang member, who was already incarcerated awaiting trial for attempted murder and drug charges. Other associates of Hicks were questioned as potential material witnesses to the Williams shooting. Rumors persist that it was a gang-related event; however, there hasn't been any concrete evidence to suggest that. Williams' family and teammates also say that the scenario was highly unlikely.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______-
When guys drink, they get macho, act tough, etc......
Happens all the time.
What doesn't happen is some psycho going on a killing spree.
Nobody is a saint.....we all have our faults.....we all need to look in our own mirror every once in awhile.
The murder of Darrent Williams was senseless and tragic, the police determined that he was not involved in the altercation.
For Knowshon to reach out was classy, I tip my cap, we like our #27's and the cheers will represent the present and the past in alot of fans minds.
ikillz0mbies
Hmm...a thread about Moreno being a classy guy by asking Darrent's mother for number 27 that turned into whether or not Darrent William's is a gangbanger. Way to stick to the topic guys. It seems like going off topic and starting a debate that has nothing to do with the original post is the norm on this board these days.....it's sad.
when someone dies of "natural causes" it is very sad but generally unavoidable,in darrents case it was a total waste and didnt need to happen.so i really dont see how one is "much more tragic" as you say.
also many people do things and have friends when they are young that they later learn from and regret,darrent was 24 years old and did NOTHING to deserve his untimely death !
you sound as though you think he got what he deserved or something.
i only pray for your sake if anthing like this ever happened to your son,some pinhead behind a computer wouldnt let garbage like " retarded" and " he was just a fart" dribble out of his closed mind.
walk a mile in his mothers shoes before you go spouting your hatred !
say what you will about darrent,you didnt know him! and i can promise you that he accomplished more in his 24 years on earth than you probably will in 80.
so i doubt anyone really cares what your opinion of him is anyway!!!!!!:salute:
frauschieze
Do NOT make this disagreement personal. Each side is welcome to their own opinions. There is no need for personal insults.
i called him dumbass out of love. it's clay.
My guess is its probably two fold. Darrent probably did use the "impression" that he was gangsta to try and stay alive while living in those dangerous places. However, once he broke out he should of continued to distance himself away from that image. Although he was young he should of known better to portray himself that way which although maybe not in this circumstance would of brought unecessary drama to himself. Doesnt mean he deserved it but for him to post pictures promoting that image couldnt of done him any favors.
exactly! way to piss on a good thread, caly. . . . :tsk:
does that mean i can't call clay a drunken redneck?
shucks. . . .
*takes ball and goes home*
seriously though, good on knowshon-- despite the assumptions some people want to make about darrent, i don't see how you can't appreciate the classy gesture on the rook's part. . . he's showing respect to a deceased man's mother and family, and he went out of his way to do so when it wasn't necessary. . . it's nice to see that he's got his head screwed on straight. . . .
Williams: I wasn't really a Crip, or part of any gang, but some people might have thought I was because I was affiliated with some of them.
Klis: What pushed you away from that life?
Williams: I went to church one day and the preacher said something about praying every night. He said: "I know a lot of you go home and get drunk or whatever. But even if you don't have a simple life, try every day to pray to the Lord. Get a relationship with Him." And I started doing that. I started praying every day at my home, and even though I wasn't going to church all the time, I started believing more, and I think that's what stopped me from going down the wrong road
From What I read in another thread the Broncos FO contacted his mom when newbie asked about the number.. it was at that time he contacted her about it..After they suggested he do so..
So while it was a nice gesture it was NOT all his idea..
Unbelievable :tsk:
Clay....I listen to some Tech Nine....I guess that makes me a thug. If I get the tattoo I'm planning on, that makes me a thug. I've flashed a westside W in a pic back in the day...I guess I fit all of your aspects for being a thug.
:yardog:
broncogirl7
Well-done Knowshon! New shirt for collection!
Broncolingus
Nice of the family let him...
...and totally okay with their 'conditions' about letting him.
Really? Clearly you never watched the Godfather. Or have you heard about the schools and the neighborhoods that the Somali pirates help build with their blood money?
That kind of shit is what got him killed! Way to justify!
Nope, he would have needed 25 years to do that. He just fell short. :cool:
You guys are blindly defending him, and lumping innocent things you do into the same boat as the stuff he has done.
He is your martyr I get it.
I respect your opinions, but there are better people to feel sorry for.
I would have said the same thing. He isnt going to air his dirty laundry for a News paper.
There was Damien Nash, who I had some hope might ultimately be our long missing running back that blocked, caught and ground out tough yards instead of just running straight ahead all the time. Now I'll never know....
My personal feeling, and that's all it is, is that if you lose a member of your team you should retire his number as a gesture of respect and appreciation. But that's just me; you don't have to retire someones number to respect and appreciate them either. I certainly understand, though, why some find it commendable to ask a players mom before wearing her sons number.
Bronco Bible
But you have to agree clay... this was a pretty classy move.if nothing he just made a whole bunch of new fans:beer:
you said you based your opinion of d-will on facts and evidence,however their seems to be more facts proving he was never seriously involved with gangs,so now do you believe you may have pre=judged him based on some pictures you googled?
do you have a "rap sheet" any factual data to support your theory?
And that was the whole point, Moreno showing class..................not the pointless crap that's been spewed :tsk:
I don't feel sorry for him. He's not a matyr. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I can drive through Aurora and find real thugs quicker than I could assume Darrent a thug.
You placed your values on what a thug is....I stated that some of the innocent things people do daily are the same things you listed as cause for someone being a thug.
Producing rap music doesn't mean you're a thug. JayZ a thug? How about Rick Rubin...ya know the white guy with the beard who produced the Beastie Boys back in the day...thug? Dr. Dre...thug?
Tattoos.....my dad has a couple...thug? Angelina Jolie...tattoos...thug?
Myspace teenagers throwing signs...thugs? :lol:
Debunked the three theories you used to categorize thugs.
Darrent grew up in one of the worst parts of Ft Worth. He grew up around REAL thugs. He used football to do something more with his life. And it just so happened that he was out at a club with a group of celebs that have money...the big thing that REAL thugs want. They got pissed, followed a limo and shot blindly into the limo. If it had been Javon Walker who has a clean background....would he have been a thug, just because of the way he was killed?
I think some people are missing the point on why people miss D- will.... cuz he was good and had room to grow.... the last game plummer played he kept us in the game with that INT... and not to mention if he had not died we might not be worrying on who plays on the other side of champ
yeah, no one misses d-will the person. just the football player. i'm just pissed that because i lost his high rating on madden.
/sarcasm
:tsk:
I forgot that part too... I miss d- will the person too he did wonders for the community,,, I even talked to him threw myspace once it was pretty awesome