Tim Hightower joined the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent and didn’t see any reason to be picky about his number choice until he got it.
The team assigned No. 21 to Hightower upon joining the team, but there was one problem — that was the same number worn by 49ers icon Frank Gore, who accumulated eight 1,000 yard seasons with the team. In Hightower’s mind, that wouldn’t do, and he made clear that he wouldn’t be wearing the number in an Instagram post.
It’s hard to say whether Hightower would have faced a backlash had he taken the field in that number as this player did, but he’s probably doing the smart thing by taking care of it before it gets to that point. If anything, such an act will earn him brownie points with his new fans before he even plays.
