San Francisco 49ers safety Donte Whitner, who has revealed he was fined $21,000 by the league for a hit during last Thursday night's victory over the St. Louis Rams, said Wednesday he's dropping the "W" from his last name.
"I actually put the paperwork in yesterday afternoon. Just waiting to get the paperwork out," he said in a conference call with the Houston media. "So from here on out until I retire, my name will be Donte Hitner, without the W."
The name change will not be cheap for Whitner. A league official told ESPN's Darren Rovell that NFL rules stipulate that if a player changes his name during an NFL season, he is required to purchase all the remaining inventory of merchandise with the old name that hasn't been sold.
Also, you know, it sounds a lot like Hitler. But don't let that stop you, Donte.
