Why is Philip Rivers wearing No. 61 on his helmet?
By Mike Dyce
A lot of NFL viewers noticed that San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers was wearing the No. 61 on the back of his helmet. His number is 17, so many fans were confused.
Philip Rivers wearing #61 on his helmet? http://t.co/TwHXsKckHy (via @Quinn_XC)
— Phil Hecken (@PhilHecken) September 14, 2014
@PhilHecken not his helmet? Sorry fir the bad quality picture pic.twitter.com/XhNudRFzTw
— Chris S B (@CSB1018) September 14, 2014
Couldn’t be the wrong helmet, has the green sticker noting that it is a quarterback helmet with the speaker in it.
The last of those Twitter users is correct. It is in fact a tribute to Chargers center Nick Hardwick, who was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a neck stinger. He is the only center that Rivers has played with in his entire professional career, the two came into the league at the same time.
“With all the time I’ve had with him,” Rivers said, “what makes it so sad for me is that he may not ever put a helmet on again.”
So it wasn’t an accident, it was a tribute.