By PHIL BARBER

I learned something about 49ers safety Donte Whitner at Media Day that many of you probably knew already. He has a tattoo on his right forearm that reads “Thank God for Ginn.”

When Whitner first mentioned it to a reporter, I thought he was kidding, poking some fun at teammate Ted Ginn Jr. But he showed off the ink from his seat on the dais, and it’s real, a testament not to the 49ers punt returner, but to Ted Ginn Sr., who coached Whitner and Ginn Jr. on the same team at Glenville High School in Cleveland.

Ginn Sr., a legendary prep coach and community activist, has survived a most difficult year. He spent nearly 60 days in a hospital after doctors removed a tumor on his pancreas. Some of his closest friends thought he was going to die, but he made a strong recovery and is expected to be in New Orleans for the game Sunday.

Tattoos have been a popular subject here, thanks to the 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick, possibly the most illustrated quarterback in NFL history. Whitner, who has voluminous tattoos, thought Kaepernick had the most on the team, but Kap conceded that tight end Vernon Davis is the team’s current tat champ.

“Maybe he got another one last weekend,” Whitner said of Davis.