NFL Denies 49ers' Plea to Switch to White Uniforms Amid Record Santa Clara Heat

San Francisco is scheduled to play in scorching conditions Sunday.

Brock Purdy, set to boil in a red uniform Sunday. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Sunday's game between the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers is shaping up to be an aggressively unpleasant affair—and not necessarily because of the quality of the teams.

No, take a look at the weather forecast for Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday. A simple Google search suggests a high of 100 degrees and a kickoff temperature in the high 90s.

Amid what constitutes scalding conditions for Northern California, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Friday that the team asked the NFL to switch to white uniforms from red uniforms and was refused. The team will be able to wear white pants with its throwback uniforms, but that's it.

"We asked on Monday, and we weren't allowed to do it," Shanahan said via David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone. "You had to (request) it before the season started. So in order for us to do it, we've kind of got to make like a conscious decision or a commitment before the year that we wear all whites until like the middle of October or whatever, and then go to normal. But it's not usually this hot, so we'll probably do that now just in case."

As Bonilla noted, 88 degrees is the highest previous temperature for a game at Levi's Stadium.

The Cardinals are protected from Arizona's oppressive heat by State Farm Stadium's roof, but that is not the case for San Francisco—an unfortunate disadvantage in a warming world.

More of the Latest Around the NFL

feed