The NFL fined Bears quarterback Caleb Williams $11,941 for wearing a “unauthorized logo” on his shoes in Week 6, in Atlanta. In Week 7, he wore the same brand of shoes – Caddix, which does not have a licensing agreement with the NFL.
According to a source familiar with the matter, Williams has not yet been fined. (For week 6, the fine was imposed the following Tuesday.)
Williams explained Wednesday why he wore shoes made by a company that doesn’t have a free deal with the NFL.
“As we have known for several years now, I’m huge in my body” Williams said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “I’m determined to try to stay on the field. I am determined to try to be healthy. It’s a tough game and things like that. So the crampons, they were great. They were super comfortable and they worked. This is a scientific type cleat. This is something that focuses when you plant hard plants on turf or grass, they call them SmartStuds, and they move as you move through these hard plants. They relieve tension in your tendons, joints and all that. So over the course of a long career or over the course of a long year, when you can take a certain percentage, it could be one, it could be 50, it could be 12, it could be anything, you know. When you reduce that percentage consistently over a period of time, you know, you have a chance, a greater chance of being healthy. And so that’s what I’m focusing on.
“I’m trying to be healthy. They’re smart cleats. They’re science cleats, and they’ve worked for me. A lot of other guys wear them in the league, and they’re focused on the future to make sure players stay on the field, and that’s what I always focus on.”
The NFL did not fine Williams for wearing the Caddix cleats during the preseason or in the first or second week of the regular season. (He did not play in Week 3, Week 4 or Week 5 due to a hamstring injury.)
Although Caddix plans to pay Williams’ fine, league rules generally prohibit the payment of fines by anyone other than the person fined. Caddix could easily get around that technicality with an endorsement deal with Williams. (Here again, he already provides the team with strong support for free.)
The situation has put the league in a difficult situation. On the one hand, he must protect the shoe manufacturers who pay the league big money for the right to equip its players. On the other hand, if Caddix shoes are safer, the league risks creating (yet again) the perception that so-called health and safety concerns take a back seat to the continued pursuit of the almighty dollar.
Gn sports
