Dick Nolan

Matt Maioco is reporting that the former 49er Head Coach and father of current 49er Head Coach Mike Nolan is deteriorating in his health:

SANTA CLARA - Mike Nolan has traveled to Texas twice this offseason to see his parents. Those visits have been especially difficult, as he witnessed his father's rapid decline in health.

"When I'm down there, that's when it's the hardest," said Nolan, the 49ers' head coach. "When I'm here, I have a lot to do, so my mind is distracted. When I think about it, it's disappointing."

Dick Nolan, 75, who was 49ers head coach from 1968 through '75, is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and prostate cancer.

"He doesn't recognize who we are and he's battling cancer at the same time," Nolan said Monday. "He's not doing well."

Obviously, we hope for recovery and for him to get well soon, but realistically it's not looking good and there's no cure for Alzheimer's, so I guess we can just pray for the family during this rough time and offer our symphathy.

Then there's the Reebok issue.

Dick Nolan wore a suit and tie on the sideline during his coaching tenure. After Mike Nolan became head coach more than two years ago -- 37 years to the day after his father was named coach of the 49ers -- he sought permission to honor his father by wearing a suit on the sideline.

Reebok, the official provider of NFL coaching apparel, designed a suit for Nolan to wear twice last season. Reebok has told Nolan he will be allowed to wear a suit for another two games this season.

Nolan wants to be allowed to wear a suit for every game. He said he considers the issue important, regardless of his father's health.

"When I did it (asked), I did it for the same reason," Nolan said. "I'd feel a lot better if they just put it to rest and let me just do it all the time, because it's ridiculous they don't. We're trying to send the right message all the time. And...it's ignorant for them not to recognize that. Reebok's never had more attention given to them."

I've long had problems with the NFL selling just about everything they can (i.e., the Urlacher/Vitiamin Water and The Big Game trademarking messes), and here's another issue where selling out is probably not the best. It shouldn't be that big a deal, really, and I guess Reebok is more to blame, but just because you can sell something, doesn't mean you are required to. Soon they'll be putting billboards on the uniforms or naming the next NFL expansion franchise the "LA Gear," or some such egregious sponsored name.  

It's not like the NFL will end up in the poor house if it gives back 1/32 of its Reebok money. Hell, Reebok even designed his damn suit, so it shouldn't even come to that. Let the guy honor his father and bring a bit more class back to the game. It seems to me that would be better for the game than another coach in a sweatshirt.