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by Brandon Richard
Continuing to live up to its fan-assigned "No Fun League" moniker, the NFL is taking money from one of its players again.
This time, they got Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett, who was fined $5,787 for wearing black cleats. Yes, black cleats. According to the NFL's rulebook, which has a surprisingly lengthy section on shoes, teams must designate white or black dominant cleats prior to the season. Chicago chose white, which explains the league's reasoning for fining Bennett.
Bennett did break the rule, but does bring up some interesting points about the fine. He has a history of foot injuries and says the blacked out Air Jordan 7 cleats, which haven't yet released in white, help keep him healthy.
"I’m just pissed off at the NFL," Bennett told the Chicago Tribune. "They get mad because my cleats are too black, but they’re perfect for my feet. And I feel like they’re supposed to protect the players, and I have a certain shoe that feels the best with my foot — I’ve had foot problems over the last two years."
Bennett doesn't have a contract with official league outfitter Nike and usually adds even more black to his cleats to make sure he doesn't break other rules.
"I black out the logo so I don’t get fined for wearing something that's not official or whatever, but they’re too black," he said. "Maybe I’m going to have to paint them white."
That sounds like an issue cleat customizer Soles by Sir could take care of.
So, will Bennett continue to wear his black cleats? It's not likely, considering that a second infraction results in a $11,576 fine, and it doesn't sound like he's willing to keep paying.
"No, I've got a kid at home," he said. "She's smart, too. I'm going to have to pay for Harvard or something. But, nah, I can't afford the fine every week. It's about my health, though."
