NFL rejects 49ers' request to wear white uniforms Sunday vs. Cardinals despite heat wave, coach says
As record heat descended on the Bay Area on Sunday, the NFL denied the San Francisco 49ers' request to wear white uniforms for their home game against the Arizona Cardinals. The decision will leave the 49ers in their red home uniforms for the game in Santa Clara, where temperatures are expected to hit 100 degrees.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after practice Friday that the team asked the NFL if the 49ers could go white, but the league denied the request. Shanahan says they will probably be able to swap out their usual gold pants for white pants.
“We got the memo earlier in the week that it was going to be this hot. So we asked on Monday, and we weren't allowed to do it. We had to do it before the season started,” Shanahan said. “We'll get as much white as we can. The most we can do is white pants.”
Under NFL guidelines, uniform changes must be made before the season to be considered. The home team selects its choice first, and the away team chooses the opposite color in response. Because of this, the Cardinals will wear all-white uniforms, as determined in Week 1, which will be beneficial in the heat.
As of Friday, the National Weather Service has flagged an excessive heat warning for the Bay Area through Saturday night, but temperatures are still expected to be in the mid- to high-90s Sunday. The game kicks off at 1:05 pm Pacific time, meaning the two teams will be playing in the hottest time of the day.
Shanahan said some players will likely get pre-game IVs to help deal with the heat, but he doesn't plan to force it on players just yet.
“Every person is different. Sometimes, when you pressurize the IV too much, people think they don't need to hydrate at all. But it depends on the IV. So, we're not promoting them yet,” he said. said “A lot of guys, usually do what they do in these situations. I wouldn't be surprised if more do it this Sunday.”
Going forward, Shanahan said the 49ers will likely plan to wear all-white uniforms during future home games in October in anticipation of more potential heat waves.
“In order for us to do that, we have to make a conscious decision or commitment earlier in the year that we're going to wear all white until mid-October or whatever and then go back to normal. But it's usually not that hot. , so we're probably going to be right now. Will do it,” he said.