Ashton Jeanty’s entire life has been one big adventure. Born to parents of Haitian descent, and learning about their culture and ancestry as he grew up, he frequently traveled due to his upbringing in a military family. With each place teaching him something more about different cultures. Moving to Chesapeake at the age of 7 was a turning point for him. That was the year that he actually got hooked on sports. While soccer was Ashton’s first love, it was his uncle who taught him football. He started out playing for his middle school, being the only sixth grader on the team, which was otherwise filled with seventh and eighth graders. However, just as he got into the groove and started to perform better, life happened.
His father, Harry Jeanty, a Navy petty officer, was promoted midway through Ashton’s middle school years. The new assignment: Italy. For most military families, such a move was business as usual. For Ashton, it felt like a rupture. Football was just beginning to make sense, and now the game—and the country that defined it—was thousands of miles away. Still, he found a way. In Italy, Ashton played football during his freshman year of high school. The competition was limited, and he knew he was a level above. But the experience was its own reward. Road games took him across Europe. The exposure, the travel, the cultural differences, all added layers to who he was becoming.
Three years later, with his father nearing retirement from the Navy, Ashton made the decision that would shape everything: he moved back to the United States. He was ready to take football seriously. And this time, he wasn’t leaving the game behind.
While talking on the podcast with the St Browns brothers, Jeanty discussed the possibility of serving in the military himself. In a clip posted on Instagram, Equanimeous St. Brown asked Jeanty if he ever wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. Ashton replied to him, talking about his decision to follow his own path and do what he had always wanted to do. “Uh, no. My whole thing was always like, I’m going to let him have that. I want my own path, journey. I’ve always wanted to, like, be a professional athlete,” he said. Ashton also discussed how he learned different things from him and why he was never really interested in joining the military.
“Obviously, there’s like some things that translate, so I’ve learned different things from him. Because even the military is a business as well. Just like how we go through the combine chute. They do too. They got to get tested, all that, before they get in. But I never had the interest in like that. That’s one of the hardest jobs in America. I don’t think I could do it,” Jeanty said.
By the time his father retired from the Navy, Jeanty had to make a decision. Football had become more than a pastime. He returned to the U.S. determined to make it a profession. In April, that decision culminated in a first-round selection by the Las Vegas Raiders, who used the No. 6 overall pick on Jeanty — a compact, downhill runner out of Boise State who had built one of the most complete résumés in college football.
Over three seasons with the Broncos, he rushed for 4,769 yards and 50 touchdowns. He caught 80 passes, too, totaling another 862 receiving yards. He finished second in Heisman Trophy voting in 2024 — a rare feat for a Group of Five athlete — and arrived at the NFL Combine as one of the draft’s most polished, pro-ready backs.
But before he could settle into life as a Raider, there was one thing he wanted to take care of — a jersey number. Jeanty, like many players, had a personal attachment to a digit. His was No. 2, worn in high school, college, and even by other athletes in his family. The number, however, was already taken by Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson, and it didn’t come cheap.
Ashton Jeanty spends a six-figure sum to make a major change
As Jeanty came into the Raiders’ dressing room, he just had one demand. A number #2 jersey. While talking with Kay Adams on her show, Jeanty revealed that his demand turned out to be quite expensive. He said, “Hey y’all, I didn’t get this for free, man. I had to drop I had to drop a little bag.” When asked about the cost, Ashton didn’t drop an exact figure but gave us a good idea of how much it could have been.
“So you could probably buy a house. Like a nice-sized house… Actually, no. I’m not going to say a house. Not in Vegas. I’m going to say a car. Like a nice Mercedes. You can buy a Mercedes GLE.” For some context, a Mercedes GLE costs from around $61,000 to $130,000 (we’ll just consider the highest price). That’s a lot of dough.
When talking about the significance and story behind the jersey number, Ashton revealed that it’s got to do with his birthday. “I’ve worn it like the majority of my career. It’s the day greatness was born. It’s the day I was born. December 2nd. It’s a family number. All my family members who play sports wear number two as well. So, means a lot,” he revealed while talking about how he’s worn the number all his life.
With this matter now resolved, everyone is eagerly awaiting a glimpse of this player on the field when the season begins. After all, his reputation precedes him at this point, and with the coach reportedly trying to change his stance. The fans will be keen to see how that goes.
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