Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown continues to challenge the NFL’s uniform code. On Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, Brown says refs asked him to change his cleats at halftime so he could fall in line with the uniform code after taking the field with his specially-designed blue cleats featuring images of his children.
Brown confirmed on his weekly radio show in Pittsburgh he was asked to change his footwear at halftime by the refs, which was originally reported by DK Pittsburgh Sports (behind a paywall). This is not the first time Brown has caught the eye of the league for his choice of shoe. Brown wore the shoes in the season opener, for which he was fined by the league. Brown claims the refs attempted to take him out of the game on Sunday in Philadelphia, but perhaps a compromise was reached by having him change his shoes at halftime.
Antonio Brown confirmed on his radio show that officials made him change from his blue shoes at haltime. Reported 1st by @MarkKaboly
— Joe Rutter (@tribjoerutter) September 28, 2016
According to Brown, officials "almost tried to take me out of the game." He was fined for wearing the blue shoes during Week 1.
— Joe Rutter (@tribjoerutter) September 28, 2016
Odds are the compromise may not be enough to avoid a second fine from the league office. You have to wonder just how many fines Brown will be willing to pay in order to show his pride in his kids on the road. The Steelers were home in Week 2, and Brown did not wear the shoes for the game against the Bengals. It’s a nice fatherly gesture of Brown to show he takes his kids with him on the road, and some NFL players may decide there is no cost too high to pay to show their children some love when away from home.
The Steelers are home for the next couple of weeks and will be back on the road on October 16 when they visit the Miami Dolphins.
