To Donte Whitner's credit, his new name actually fits a little better than his old one.
When Whitner was six years old, he was hit by a car while chasing a loose football down the street and spent three months in a full body cast.
For the next 22 years of his life Whitner would knock the snot out of of offensive skill position players on the defensive end.
Whitner's most prominent hit was the result of a helmet to helmet collision with Pierre Thomas at the goal line in the 2011 NFC Divisional Round that resulted in a fumble. Thomas was knocked out of the game, but at least Whitner 's never put anyone in a body cast.
Two days after the NFL hit Whitner with a fine for a hit on St. Louis Rams receiver Chris Givens, Whitner announced on Twitter that he was changing his last name to Hitner in protest and creating T-shirts that read #LegalHitner.
Via NY Daily News:
"That's what I do. It's my last name and removing a letter makes it pretty cool," he told reporters Wednesday, saying that some fans call him "Hitner" already.
"I asked my mom first," he said of the decision to go through with the name change. "She said, 'no' in the summer. But she said, 'yes' three nights ago."
