The National Football League will be allowing players to wear some special edition cleats this upcoming season, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell.
Citing a memo that was sent out by the league to head coaches and equipment managers, Rovell says players will be permitted to wear personalized cleats during warm-ups and will have more color options for their in-game cleats.
For instance, the "Craig Sager" cleats that Odell Beckham Jr wore prior to a game against the Lions last year, which resulted in an $18,000 fine, will be acceptable to wear during the pre-game under the new rule change.
In previous seasons, players were required to wear cleats that were in line with the team's "dominant footwear color." However, team's won't have to make such a designation this season and players will be free to wear solid black, solid white or a secondary team color during the game.
Although, there are still some restrictions regarding what players can wear on the field without receiving a fine.
Per ESPN's Darren Rovell,
"During pregame warm-ups, players can wear any design they want, so long as it doesn't depict commercialized or trademarked logos, other than the league-approved footwear brands (Nike, Under Armour and Adidas). The cleats also can't have anything that would be deemed offensive or express political views."
Last year, the NFL started a "My Cleats, My Cause" initiative which allowed players to wear any special edition cleats they wanted for one game, which not only allowed players to have some fun with custom cleats but also raise awareness for a charity of their choosing.
