San Francisco 49ers safety Donte Whitner, who has revealed he was fined $21,000 by the league for a hit during last Thursday night's victory over the St. Louis Rams, said Wednesday he's dropping the "W" from his last name.

"I actually put the paperwork in yesterday afternoon. Just waiting to get the paperwork out," he said in a conference call with the Houston media. "So from here on out until I retire, my name will be Donte Hitner, without the W."

Earlier Wednesday, he had revealed his name change in a tweet.

It's official...The W is being removed from my last name from Whitner to Hitner...GM — TWHITNER (@DonteWhitner) October 2, 2013

Whitner also confirmed to reporters in Santa Clara, Calif., that he was changing his name. He said he'd like to get it changed on his uniform by Sunday's game but admitted that might be unrealistic.

"That's what I do. It's my last name and removing a letter makes it pretty cool," he said, adding that some fans already call him "Hitner" anyway.