He wanted a number. She got a house.
That's the outcome of a request by new Houston Texans running back Ahman Green to teammate Jason Simmons this past March. When Green signed with Houston this spring, he asked Simmons if he would be willing to surrender his uniform number 30 that Green had worn since high school.
Simmons said no problem, "but I'd like you to make a down payment on a home" for a deserving family in the community. Green responded, "I'm on board. Tell me who to write the check to."
Fast-forward to late July and there was single-mother Regina Foster with her seven-year-old autistic son entering their new home. Green's check for $25,000, coupled with matching funds from Texans owner Robert C. McNair, accounted for Foster's $50,000 down payment.
Green said it was hard to believe that a simple request of a teammate and their subsequent handshake on a deal had led to such happiness for one family. "I never realized how important this could be," said Green. "I thought it could be big, but I was nowhere in the ballpark of what it would mean to this one family."
But Ahman Green is not the only NFL player with a new/old number this season. Some others:
