Hester Will Keep No. 23

Bears return specificalist Devin Hester used to be a defensive back. Now, he’s a receiver. But he wears a number that was assigned to him when he was a defensive back -- 23. And it’s a number that isn’t available to receivers, who are limited to 10 to 19 and 80 to 89. As recently explained by the team’s official web site, the league isn’t forcing Hester to change his number. The official explanation is that “No. 23 is an eligible number that will allow him to play receiver without reporting to the referee.” That’s a proverbial can of worms, in our view. As a reader points out, No. 5 is an eligible number as well, so why wasn’t Saints running back Reggie Bush allowed to wear it three years ago? And why isn’t 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree allowed to wear it now? The better explanation is that Hester made a good-faith position change, and that he was allowed to keep his number. Regardless of the precise explanation, Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune touches on the likely underlying reason. If Hester changes jersey numbers, someone would have to pay Reebok for its inventory of unsold 23 jerseys.