The NFL, an organization with ridiculous rules about uniforms, apparently has plans to let players speak their minds via their feet in Week 13.
According to Jonathan Jones of Sports Illustrated, players will find themselves permitted to promote a pre-approved charity or other cause on cleats, if not more, during the holiday season. Players must donate the proceeds of the equipment to a charity or cause:
There are a few more catches, but according to a league source you’ll see more personal messages on players’ cleats in Week 13. The NFL is planning to allow players to promote a charitable cause of their choice during the Dec. 4 weekend, and a separate league source indicated that plan will go beyond cleats.
It’s a rather large step in the right direction for the NFL, which has come off as heartless at times via its uniform policy notably hitting DeAngelo Williams with a fine last year when he wore slogans on his eyeblack in recognition of his mother’s battle with breast cancer. Or when Cameron Hayward got fined for words on his eye black honoring his later father. Or last week, as Odell Beckham Jr. might get fined for 9/11 cleats.
It seems the league will still have a tight hold on how this Week 13 event unfolds, but again, any progress is good progress for the league in this area. A strict uniform policy is fine in most instances, but a stranglehold rather than a case-by-case basis has been a bit much over the years. Here’s to hoping the weekend is a success.