Modern NFL Jersey/Photomatching experts: Please Advise

[dplettn]

Let me be clear. I am humbly asking for the honest and diligent opinion of others on a matter for which I don't want to jump to conclusions.

The jersey below was worn by Giovani Bernard in Sunday's 49-9 Bengal Victory. What I'm trying to determine with certainty is whether it was previously worn in the September 16th game against the Steelers.

When I witnessed the jersey, I was suprised to see the tag inside appeared 1) less than crisp, 2) to have an "L" written on it near a foldover, and 3) the tag generally looked to my novice eyes to exhibit a bit of wash wear. So, I became curious whether the jersey might have been used in any other games, Preseason or regular season (same style was worn Week 2 Sept 16th vs Steelers and Week 3 Sept 22 vs Patriots).

I was really surprised to see what looks like a much deeper but identical marking on the front "5" on the TD play high res photos from the Steeler Game. If they reused a jersey in this day in age, wouldn't any staining be washed out?

I am not sure what creates the staining on the number "5" on the front. Central to my question is whether it all washes out if a jersey is washed/reused.

I invite insights from the forum's many experts.