Greg Olsen: ‘No ill will’ towards Panthers, Terrace Marshall for wearing No. 88
Carolina Panthers great Greg Olsen, even as a retiree, has more than earned his reputation as one of the true good guys of the sport. So his humble stance on his former No. 88 being given to rookie wideout Terrace Marshall Jr. should come as no surprise.
“My whole thing was I didn’t want the kid to feel any pressure from me. That was his (Marshall’s) number (in college),” Olsen said in an interview with Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer. “That’s what he wanted. I’ve heard he’s a great kid. I don’t have any animosity. I’m glad he’s going to wear it and hopefully he’s a great player. I have no ill will.”
While he did admit to initially having some mixed feelings about his number being placed back into circulation, Olsen knows the nature of the game all too well to let it bother him.
“I’ll be honest, though — in the beginning I was like: I don’t know. It seemed kind of quick. But that’s the way it goes. I wish nothing but the best for the kid. I was talking to Coach (Matt) Rhule at a golf outing and said, ‘Hey, I hope he (Marshall) plays well. I hope he does great. Just let him know that there’s a lot of balls that have been caught in that number. So you better go out and catch the ball.'”
Olsen caught 524 balls in that number over his nine years as a member of the Panthers organization. His 6,463 yards during that time frame stand as the third-most in franchise history and the most for any tight end to wear the black and blue.
The jersey Marshall will have to fill will be a heavy one, but at least he has the support of the man who donned it before him.
