York OKs Dilfer wearing Brodie's 12

The ex-Browns quarterback wants to pay tribute to the stroke victim.
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
STATELINE, Nevada -- The 49ers are bringing John Brodie's No. 12 jersey out of retirement so former Cleveland Browns quarterback Trent Dilfer can wear it as a tribute to the former quarterback.
A formal announcement is expected July 27, the day before the 49ers open training camp. A club spokesman declined to confirm the news, but Brodie and Dilfer did.
Dilfer, a longtime friend of Brodie, broached the subject in a phone call to Brodie within hours of being traded to the 49ers two months ago.
"I'd love to honor you by wearing your number. Is that all right?" Dilfer said he told Brodie. "And he said, 'Yes! Yes!' He was all fired up."
Sue Brodie, John's wife, said team owner John York of Canfield has agreed to the unusual request.
"He said we'll put it back into mothballs after this," she said in reference to the jersey. "There's an agreement between the 49ers and John that this is a one-time deal. They've signed off on that."
Rice set precedent
While it marks the first time that a retired jersey will be reactivated by the 49ers, the move is not without precedent. While Jerry Rice was with Seattle two years ago, the former 49ers receiver received permission from Steve Largent to use his retired No. 80 jersey.
Dilfer currently wears No. 10.
By getting Brodie's number back in circulation, Dilfer said he hopes to build sentiment for a drive to get Brodie in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and raise public awareness about stroke victims.
Brodie was nearly killed by a stroke six years ago and still suffers speech and other physical problems. He scrawled the No. 12 on a notepad to make a point about his desire for Dilfer to wear his jersey.
"John has been a huge influence in my life," Dilfer said. "Really, this has nothing to do with me and everything to do with him. I believe he should be in the Hall of Fame and hopefully his number coming out again will kind of get that thing rolling."