Devin McCourty is known to make an entrance with his expansion t-shirt collection. He uses them to make a statement, to poke fun or touch on a pop culture moment.
On Sunday night, he used his 'fit to recognize a legend: Carli Lloyd.
Earlier this month, Lloyd announced she would be walking away from the game of soccer after the U.S. Women's National Team's fall friendly matches and the NWSL season. With a trip to New Jersey to play the Giants, it was only fitting that McCourty sport his fellow Rutgers Scarlet Knight by sporting Lloyd's Team U.S.A. jersey.
Though he said after the game he never got to know Lloyd, he respects her as a competitor and a game-changer.
"I watched her a lot and not knowing a lot about soccer but just watching because I'm like, Carli Lloyd went to Rutgers," McCourty said. "Her announcing that she's going to retire after a couple more friendlies, it was a great time to come back to New Jersey and represent a Rutgers living legend."
Lloyd still has some games left to play, but her decision to walk away from the game resulted in an outpouring of support from fans, teammates and fellow athletes from around the world. She played in four Olympics, four World Cups and served as a U.S.W.N.T. captain. She holds the U.S.A.'s record for most goals scored in the Olympics with 10 and is third in World Cup goals with 10.
Her consistency and leadership were formative to the game, and McCourty became yet another prominent figure to pay respect to her legacy.
"You always hear people say to give people their flowers while they're still here," McCourty said. "I know I've learned a lot from just watching our compete and doing that at the highest level year in and year out."
