NFL Puts Kibosh on Custom Rae Carruth Carolina Panthers Jerseys

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The Charlotte Observer reported that the NFL will not allow fans to purchase custom Rae Carruth Carolina Panthers jerseys.

While I understand how rare and interesting a No. 89 Rae Carruth jersey would be, it’s probably not in the best taste. After all, he just spent the better part of two decades in prison for setting up the murder of his significant other. The NFL, obviously wanting to distance themselves from Carruth, made sure nobody can get their hands on an official Carolina Panthers jersey donning his name.

According to Langston Wertz Jr. of The Charlotte Observer, fans visiting the NFL Shop in hopes of Rae Carruth Carolina Panthers jerseys will get hit with an error message that reads: “We are unable to customize this item with the text you have entered. Please try a different entry.”

In addition to the jerseys Carruth actually wore during his 22-game NFL career (No. 84 & No. 89), the Observer revealed that the “league appears to have banned it being placed on any uniform for any number.” You can understand why the NFL went in this direction but it stinks for fans with Carruth as their last name.

Overall, this is a good call by the NFL and one that’s not foreign to major sports brands. For example, you cannot buy Aaron Hernandez gear at the NFL Shop and the WWE has gone to great lengths to remove Chris Benoit from everything they produce.

The Charlotte Observer credited TMZ for breaking the story.

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I remember Rae Carruth as a rookie with the Carolina Panthers in 1997. The team had just won 12 games in their second season as an NFL franchise (1996), finishing just one win shy of the Super Bowl. Carruth, who played his college ball at Colorado, was Carolina’s first-round pick in the 1997 NFL Draft and looked like another weapon in an already loaded wide receiver group assembled by legendary NFL GM Bill Polian. The plan was for Carruth and Rocket Ismail to be the big hitters for Kerry Collins, with Muhsin Muhammad and Wesley Walls as the primary possession guys. Unfortunately, the offense fell apart in 1997 and finished with the 27th-most points in the league and a 7-9 record. By comparison, the 1996 team ranked No. 7 in total points and finished the regular season with a 12-4 record.

Carruth, who was released from prison earlier this week, finished his NFL career with 62 catches and four touchdowns in 22 games.