It's taken almost two years, but the San Francisco 49ers are finally following Colin Kaepernick's lead.
CSNBayArea.com reported that the 49ers unveiled the franchise's first alternate jersey - a black-on-black top-and-pants look. The jerseys include red numbers and stripes on the sleeves. Two red stripes run down each side of the pants.
Colin Kaepernick not shying away from glowing reports over his progress
The only gold is on the Nike swoosh on the shoulders.
The 49ers can wear the alternate jerseys twice during the season. According to CSNBayArea.com, the unis resemble the gear that quarterback Colin Kaepernick has worn during practice.
Former coach Jim Harbaugh implemented the practice jerseys for all the quarterbacks during training camp in 2013 when linebacker Ahmad Brooks got too close to Kaepernick in a drill.
Harbaugh "ordered Kaepernick to begin wearing a different jersey to re-emphasize his hands-off policy on the quarterback for defensive players."
Niners chief operating officer Al Guido told the San Jose Mercury News that the black jerseys prompted a movement by the players to get the uniforms for the entire team.
"After our QBs started wearing black practice jerseys, a number of players told us they'd like to see black jerseys for the entire team," Guido said in a release. "Black has been a primary 49ers accent color for a long time and part of our brand identity since the beginning, so we feel like we've honored the team's history and heritage while creating a modern look that our players and fans will enjoy wearing."
San Francisco players also gave their seal of approval of the uniforms in the release.
"I love the jerseys. I think it's a fresh look," Kaepernick said in a release. "This is the first time we've had a black jersey in our team's history and it's something that the fans are going to be excited about."
Linebacker Navarro Bowman said he thought the uniforms would bring a mindset that would benefit the team in 2015.
"I feel like putting on a black jersey doesn't say anything nice, it says we're ready for business," Bowman said in a release. "I feel like that's the kind of mindset we need to have when we walk out onto the field. We're about business; we have a goal in mind and that's to get to the Super Bowl."
USA TODAY Sports' For the Win, however, reported that at least one fan was not impressed with the new look. For the Win concurred.
"I asked a 49ers fan what he thought of the uniforms and the printable phrases he used were 'no reason for the red and gold 49ers to wear this ' and 'they're worse than I thought,' both of which were bookended by a half-dozen unprintable words. And to his credit, the unis are hideously ugly and off message."
Do you like the San Francisco 49ers in all-black uniforms? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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