The NY Jets announced today that they will retire # 90 in honor of Jets great Dennis Byrd.<\/p>\n
At halftime of the Jets-Dolphins game on October 28, the Jets will honor Dennis Byrd with the retirement of his No. 90 jersey.\u00a0 Byrd, a defensive end, was selected by the Jets in the 1989 draft and recorded 27 sacks in his first three seasons, a number bettered by only two players in their first three seasons in Jets history.\u00a0 Byrd\u2019s #90 jersey has not been worn since he suffered his career-ending injury and will be officially retired in this halftime ceremony.\u00a0 The Jets-Dolphins game is being presented by Toyota.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Dennis Byrd was injured in his 4th season with the Jets.\u00a0 He had 27 sacks in his young career and for those that never saw Dennis play, he had a motor that never stopped.\u00a0 He played with heart, energy and the Jets are honoring a true Jets great by retiring # 90.<\/p>\n
From Wikipedia<\/a>:<\/p>\n
Byrd suffered a neck injury during an NFL game against the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> on November 29, 1992. During the play, he rushed in an attempt to sack Chiefs quarterback<\/a> Dave Krieg<\/a>, but Krieg stepped up to avoid the tackle, and Byrd collided with Jets teammate Scott Mersereau<\/a>. He ducked his head at the last moment before he collided with Mersereau’s chest.[1]<\/a><\/sup> The head-first collision resulted in a broken C-5 vertebra<\/a> that left him unable to walk for the time being. Eventually, after extensive physical therapy, he would walk again but he couldn’t go back to playing football.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n