【2002 Archives】

A handful of NFL players risked fines this weekend for writing 9/11 tributes002 Archivestheir cleats, a move which violates the NFL's uniform regulations.

The NFL will lift those regulations during Week 13, according to Sports Illustrated's Jonathan Jones, and allow players to promote a charitable cause on their cleats over the Dec. 4 weekend.

But, this being the NFL, there are still somerules, of course.

First, players must have their particular cause approved by the NFL before Week 13. The league will still have a chance to "determine the legitimacy of the cause," Jones writes.

Second, players must auction off their cleats after the game and donate all of the proceeds to their chosen charity or cause.

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The news could be made official this week, Sports Illustratedreports, and marks a major shift in the NFL's uniform regulations.

This one-week lift would allow players to support causes in ways for which they've previously been penalized.

For instance, the league fined Brandon Marshall for sporting lime-green cleats to support Mental Illness Awareness Week in 2013, and handed William Gay a $5,787 fine last year for his purple cleats, which the Steelers' cornerback wore to promote domestic violence awareness.

The eased regulations also come in the wake of the Colin Kaepernick-led National Anthem silent protests. Other NFL players have followed suit in protesting racial inequality in America by sitting, kneeling or raising a fist during the pregame National Anthem.

Though Kaepernick's cause wasn't pre-approved by the NFL, the 49ers quarterback already announced he would donate the proceeds of his skyrocketing jersey sales.

Players have been using their platform to promote causes for a while, and the NFL is finally beginning to recognize that.

Or at least for one week it will.

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