Government Shutdown Shuts Down 49ers' Whitner Name Change

Earlier this week, hard-hitting San Fransisco 49ers safety Donte Whitner announced he was legally changing his name to Donte “Hitner.” Whitner’s reason for changing his name to Hitner was to protest thepenalties and fines he is sure to receive due to his tough style of playon the field.

However, now it seems the government shutdown debacle has stopped progress on the name change. The current government shutdown has stopped the progress on processing the paperwork, halting movement on Whitner’s attempted name change.

Though Whitner’s troubles are not terribly significant, the government shutdown has caused other sports related issues. Troops overseas are unlikely to be able to watch sports on the Armed Services Network due to the shutdown. There has been no word yet if Whitner will continue with the name change once the shutdown is resolved.