No. 81 is officially no longer in circulation for the Commanders.
Washington announced on Tuesday that it is retiring Hall of Fame receiver Art Monk’s number, with the ceremony coming during the team’s Week 9 matchup against the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football.
Monk’s number has not been worn by a Washington player since Monk departed the club after the 1993 season. Also a member of the team’s Ring of Fame, Monk remains the all-time franchise leader in receptions (888) and receiving yards (12,026).
“I can sit here and take all the credit, but a lot of the credit also goes to them and to the rest of my teammates because a team is a team,” Monk said, via Zach Selby of the Commanders’ website. “One could not do their job without the other.”
Monk was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008 as a three-time Super Bowl champion, one-time first-team All-Pro, and three-time Pro Bowler.
He is now the sixth player to have his jersey number officially retired by Washington, joining Darrell Green (No. 28), Sammy Baugh (No. 33), Sonny Jurgensen (No. 9), Bobby Mitchell (No. 49), and Sean Taylor (No. 21).