News Update:Why ‘Lean’ Shirts are Spreading All through Alabama and the NFL

PASADENA, Calif. — There have been very few times over the last 15 years that Alabama has truly been the doubted, the underdog or the unproven. In fact, Monday’s matchup against No. 1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl will be just the fifth time since 2009 that the Crimson Tide hasn’t gone into a game as the favorite.

But this season, Alabama has had plenty of doubters, and its part of the reason why the team has fully rallied around the LANK (Let All Naysayers Know) mantra. It was something that Jalen Milroe and Terrion Arnold came up with in the offseason, but took on a whole new meaning for the team after the loss to Texas in Week 2 and poor performance at USF in Week 3.

Even though it was originally Arnold and Milroe’s thing, it quickly spread throughout the whole team. A few days before Christmas, the tight-knit duo wanted it to be something the whole team could profit off as well. Along with Athlete’s Thread, Milroe and Arnold gifted the whole team LANK shirts with their name and number on the back. “I feel like with all the adversity we’ve endured and coming together as a team, it was something that united us,” Arnold said. “And it was another thing that just brought us closer together, especially with everything we’ve seen with the criticism in Week 2. Us really buying into the LANK, it was something that me and J-Mil wanted to give the team as a gift.” Not only were the players personally given a shirt, but the customized shirts for each player are now online for each player to sell and receive NIL money from.

We’re a family,” Milroe said. “We love our B Psi Phi. Basically we want other guys to market off their names and create a brand for themselves off of LANK because it’s a group effort. It’s something we built in the offseason for us to get where we are right now.” Milroe said the idea was a collaboration between him, Arnold and Athlete’s Thread. The moment the players received their shirts went viral with their reaction.