Former Florida Gators cornerback Teez Tabor is hoping to have his name called by Roger Goodell early in the 2017 NFL draft weekend. Tabor, who started in 26 games in three seasons, was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the No. 53 overall pick in the second round.
Wait, is his name Teez Tabor or Jalen Tabor?
The Florida NFL prospect has gone by two different names.
Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Tabor’s first name of “Teez” was called with the pick. But that hasn’t always been the first name he has gone by.
Tabor, as a recruit and during his first two years at the University of Florida, went by Jalen. However, heading into his final season with the Gators, he informed the team and media members that he was going to go exclusively by “Teez.” His official bio on Florida football’s site was changed to Teez:
So how come?
Tabor told the school’s website it’s actually a name he’d gone by for years:
Tabor said friends and family began referring to him as Teez in middle school. He prefers the name over Jalen and is used to it, which is at the heart of his request.
“That’s what I go by,” he said. “That’s what everyone calls me.”
He’s even got the name tattooed on his arm:
A close look at Tabor’s right forearm proves how much the name means. He has “Teez” tattooed on the arm, but among the many tattoos that cover his torso, you won’t find “Jalen” in ink.
Tabor credits his younger brother Roger as the primary reason those who know him best call him Teez. In seventh grade Tabor and three other friends created a MySpace page for their group named the “Eezy Boyz.” Eventually, MySpace wasn’t so popular with his middle-school friends and they deleted the page.
However, Roger continued to call Jalen by the nickname, first Teezy and finally Teez.
Speaking of tattoos, Tabor sports this bad boy, a stylized Superman logo, on his chest:
Now it’s unclear whether or not this will become a legal name change; he told the Orlando Sentinel back in August that he was “probably” going to keep Jalen on his license. But this is what broadcasters and the media called him throughout 2016. It was also how he was listed officially on the NFL’s website for both the combine and the draft, so it looks like this name will stick.
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