The Buccaneers had planned to break out the Bucco Bruce uniforms on Sunday, September 29, against the Cardinals.
Now, not.
The NFL has a new helmet policy that strongly urgres players to wear the same helmet all year long. Given the dramatic contrast between the current pewter helmet and the white helmet on which the Bucco Bruce decal resides, the Buccaneers have decided they can’t pull off the alternate uniform.
“We are excited to celebrate and honor the Hispanic heritage that has had such a profound impact on our community,” Buccaneers Chief Operating Officer Brian Ford said in a team-issued release. “While we regret that our players will not be able to don the ‘Bucco Bruce’ helmet and traditional orange, red and white uniforms, there simply was no acceptable way to meet the requirements of the new policy while staying true to the spirit of our throwback theme. We will continue to explore options with the league office for bringing back this fan favorite in future seasons.”
The policy surely will affect other teams with throwback uniforms based on a helmet of a different color. The Patriots, for example shift from silver to white for the old uniforms with Pat Patriot preparing to snap the ball. The Falcons go from black to red. The Redskins, in 2012, swapped out burgundy for a brown helmet with a simulated leather finish.
In Week Two, both the Bears and Bills wore throwback uniforms, but with the same helmets. For Chicago, the “C” logos were removed. For Buffalo, the current Bills logo was replaced with the stationary buffalo from the 1960s.