Caleb Williams cleats controversy, explained: Why Bears QB defied NFL after fine over Caddix brand originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Caleb Williams is undeniably one of the most popular younger players in the NFL, and he has a chance to keep elevating his profile by taking the Bears on a deep playoff run this season.
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Part of what has made Williams so successful is his willingness to do what he wants and go his own way. That extends to what he wears, too.
Williams continues to wear cleats the NFL doesn’t approve of, and fines from the league haven’t stopped him yet.
Here’s what you need to know about the cleats controversy involving Williams and why the NFL is punishing him.
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Williams’ cleats aren’t drawing the ire of the NFL because of any message or statement on them. Rather, it’s the brand that is forcing the league’s hand.
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The 24-year-old wears Caddix cleats, while the NFL only has deals with Nike, Adidas and Under Armour. Players can only wear cleats from a different brand if the logo is covered. To this point, Williams hasn’t been willing to do that.
The NFL fined Williams $11,941 for wearing Caddix cleats in Week 6, and the league doubled the fine to $23,882 when he wore them again in Week 7.
One reason Williams is willing to pay the fine is Caddix has said it will pay it for him.
“From a safety metric perspective, Caleb’s cleats are one of the safest pairs players can wear,” Caddix founder Jack Rasmussen told ESPN. “Regardless if this is a marketing fine or not, I’m happy to pay it.”
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Williams told reporters Wednesday that he wears the cleats as an injury-prevention tool, though the NFL would likely say that he could still do so while covering up the logo. Williams does not have an endorsement deal with Caddix.
“As we’ve known for the past couple of years now, I’m huge into my body. I’m huge into trying to stay on the field. I’m huge into trying to be healthy. It’s a rough game and things like that,” Williams said. “So the cleats, they’ve been great. They’ve been super comfy and they’ve worked.”
