university Florida Quarterback Anthony Richardson is distancing himself from the country’s national gun debate by giving up his “AR-15” nickname and his apparel company’s “crosshair” logo.
Following the NCAA’s decision last year to allow collegiate athletes to capitalize on their name, image and likeness, Richardson launched his own brand of clothing, which included his initials and jersey number: 15.
“AR-15” is, of course, also the name of the much-maligned ArmaLite semi-automatic rifle used in the 2012 Sand Hook Elementary shootings ConnecticutMay’s shooting at a primary school in Uvalde, Texasand the 2018 filming at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, just four and a half hours from the University of Florida’s Gainesville campus.
University of Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson (right) distances himself from the nation’s national gun debate by abandoning his “AR-15” nickname and his apparel company’s “crosshair” logo (left).
Richardson, a Gainesville native, was recruited heavily out of high school but decided to stay close to home by enrolling in Florida. Since then, he has appeared in seven games, hitting six touchdowns and six interceptions and scoring three points
The state was also the site of one of the worst mass killings in U.S. history: the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting that killed 49 people.
“While a nickname is just a nickname and ‘AR-15’ was simply a representation of my initials combined with my jersey number, it is important to me that my name and trademark are no longer associated with the earlier assault rifle used in mass shootings.” , which I do not endorse in any way or form,” Richardson said in a statement.
“My reps and I are currently working on a rebranding that will include creating a new logo and transitioning to just using ‘AR’ and my name, Anthony Richardson.”
Richardson, a Gainesville native, was recruited heavily out of high school but decided to stay close to home by enrolling in Florida. Since then, he has appeared in seven games, hitting six touchdowns and six interceptions and scoring three points.
“AR-15” is also the name of ArmaLite’s much-maligned semi-automatic rifle used in the 2012 Sand Hook Elementary shootings in Connecticut, May’s shooting at a Uvalde, Texas elementary school, and 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (im Image) just four and a half hours from the University of Florida campus in Gainesville
Former Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko was nicknamed “AK-47” because of his initials, jersey number 47 and the fact that he hails from Izhevsk, Russia, where the Avtomat Kalashnikovan rifle was first manufactured. In this picture, the local government gives him an AK-47 in 2015
He is not the first athlete to use his initials and jersey number in a nickname referring to a firearm.
Former Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko was nicknamed “AK-47” because of his initials, jersey number 47 and the fact that he hails from Izhevsk, Russia, where the Avtomat Kalashnikovan rifle was first manufactured.
For years, Kirilenko adopted the nickname that seemed fitting for someone who was considered one of the NBA’s best defensive players at the time. He even received an AK-47 as a gift from the local government when his basketball career came to an end in 2015.
But Kirilenko’s nickname also led to some awkward moments in his career. When he was playing in Brooklyn in 2014, the Nets ran a promotion that printed players’ nicknames on the back of their jerseys. But instead of AK-47, Kirilenko and the Nets opted for “Кириленко”, his Russian name in the Cyrillic alphabet.
Kirilenko’s nickname also led to some awkward moments in his career. When he was playing in Brooklyn in 2014, the Nets ran a promotion that printed players’ nicknames on the back of their jerseys. But instead of AK-47, Kirilenko and the Nets opted for “Кириленко”, his Russian name in the Cyrillic alphabet
