The Baltimore Ravens have seen many of their players take advantage of the new jersey rules that have graced the NFL for each of the past few years. The league decided to ease the restrictions of what numbers are allowed to be worn by certain positional groups, and multiple Baltimore players were quick to make a switch last offseason, including wide receiver Marquise Brown as well as inside linebackers Patrick Queen and L.J. Fort.
This offseason, wide receiver Rashod Bateman decided to change things up on his jerseys, switching from No. 12 to No. 7. When he was asked about his decision during a Wednesday press conference, Bateman revealed that the number is his mother’s favorite, who he is extremely close with.
"I'm really close with my mom.. and her favorite number is 7." @R_bateman2 pic.twitter.com/Jdrevf0Fpl
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 20, 2022
Bateman and his mother, Lashonda Cromer, have a very strong connection, and both have played a huge part in each other’s lives. She was instrumental in who Bateman is today, and worked extremely hard to make sure that the wide receiver could achieve his dreams. Now, Bateman will have a reminder of her whenever he suits up to play football.