The NFL has been known to crack down on a thing or two. It’s kind of what they do. They see something wrong and they correct it or configure rules and regulations to rectify anywhere they went wrong. That certainly hasn’t been a stance that has ignored uniforms and player apparel.
For the most part, the NFL is a pretty expressive league. From players wearing colors in their dreadlocks to using visors, arm and wrist bands, braces and the like, players are able to accessorize themselves to a certain degree. It’s not like the NBA, though. NFL accessories must have a reason and they have to fit under the league’s guidelines.
But should they? Should the league really have such a stranglehold over how players can express themselves, who they can pay homage to and when, and when products, people or charities they can promote on the field?
The league’s players are their own best friend when it comes to promotion their brand, but when a player tries to use his own brand to promote something or someone else for a better cause than mere financial gain, that’s not something we should be trying to discourage.
But that’s what is happening in pro football.
Years ago when Peyton Manning was with the Indianapolis Colts, he tried to pay homage to the late, great Johnny Unitas by wearing a pair of old school football cleats. The NFL said no.
In 2006, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward was fined for wearing the label “Ironhead” on his eye black as a tribute to his late father, former NFL running back, Craig “Ironhead” Heyward.
And just this season, Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams, a public supporter of Breast Cancer Awareness, asked the league if he could wear “Find a Cure” on his eye black. Just like the NFL told Heyward no, so too, did they to Williams.
All good causes, all met with the strict guidelines of the league.
Players have been fined for the color or fashion of their cleats and other players tanking stands for or against off the field issues have been fined for doing so.
There is a fine line being created here, one where the league wants order and conformity, or it doesn’t want any attention that it’s not getting a piece of the action of. Digging deep into the semantics of rules and regulations isn’t our goal. Nor is questioning the NFL’s system as a whole. However, it’s worth wondering whether or not there can be special exemptions built into these rules – which by the way, are too harsh – so that players can show their support in the right way.
Should players be able to wear whatever they want whenever they want on the field? No, I’m not sure they should. But it’s not like we’re talking about custom football uniforms to the extreme, where players are covering the league or team logo or putting advertisements on their jerseys. No one is arguing for that, as it would open to the door to players wearing non-football materials, getting paid for branding or promoting questionable products, events or organizations.
But when we’re talking about paying respects, supporting a worthwhile cause and/or expressing one’s personality to the point where it’s helping far more than it’s hurting, it’s probably something to consider. After all, the NFL has long been a league that is high on getting more money and more viewers any way they can. Don’t you think making the game a little more colorful and a little more selfless would go a long way in accomplishing that? Let us know your take in the comments below.
