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49ers hope to wear all-white throwbacks for Super Bowl

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 29: Jacob Hollister #48 of the Seattle Seahawks is stopped inches short of a touchdown by Dre Greenlaw #57 of the San Francisco 49ers in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter during the game at CenturyLink Field on December 29, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. The San Francisco 49ers top the Seattle Seahawks 26-21. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

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Twenty-five years ago, when the 49ers last won the Super Bowl, the organization had received permission from the league to wear as often as they wished the shadow-numbered throwback jerseys they had donned in honor of the NFL’s 75th season. With the 49ers returning to the Super Bowl, played in the same South Florida stadium as the last one they won, the 49ers are hoping to receive another dispensation from 345 Park Avenue.

After last night’s NFC Championship, David Lombardi of TheAthletic.com reported that the 49ers hope to wear their all-white ’94-style throwbacks. Cornerback Richard Sherman told Lombardi that, for now, the league has declined the request.

The NFL permitted the 49ers to wear the all-white throwbacks for their Week 17 game at Seattle, a whisker of a win that gave the 49ers the top seed in the NFC and that allowed them to play two home games to get to the Super Bowl instead of hitting the road as the fifth seed.

The league has specific rules regarding the number of times a team can wear alternate jerseys in any given year. The fact that the league allowed the all-white throwbacks for Week 17 means that the league can allow it for the Super Bowl. So why refuse the request? The 49ers want to wear them, and the jersey objectively look better than the team’s usual road uniforms.

The reason for the refusal could be a $imple one: The NFL already is selling three styles of 49ers jerseys with the Super Bowl LIV patch (red, white, and black); the throwback jersey isn’t one of the options.