Nits Add Names

DAILY NEWS WIRE REPORTS
Posted: August 08, 2012

THE NAMES of Penn State football players will be on the back of their uniform this season.

The university announced its decision Tuesday, ending Penn State's longstanding tradition of no names on uniforms. It is not known if the names will remain after this season.

The uniforms also will have a blue ribbon to support victims of child abuse in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Nittany Lions coach Bill O'Brien said he talked with the players about having names on the jerseys. O'Brien said the players indicated the names would help hold them accountable to uphold PSU traditions "both of and off the field."

"We want our fans to know and recognize these young men," O'Brien said in a statement. "They have stuck together during tough times, and I commend them for the leadership they have shown."

Longtime PSU radio announcer Fran Fisher said the changes might bother former players.

"I think coach O'Brien has a right to do whatever he wants to do to have an identity for his team," Fisher told the Associated Press. "I think that the plainness of the [Joe] Paterno era will be remembered because he considered it to be a team sport."

The ribbons will be worn in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal.

Decommitment

Wide receiver Zach Bradshaw, of Damascus, Md., became the fourth player of the 2013 recruiting class to decommit, ESPN.com reported. He will attend Virginia.

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