As to Caleb Williams, the NFL currently stands for the ‘Nother Fine League.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the NFL has fined the Bears quarterback $23,882 for wearing an “unauthorized logo” on his shoes during the Week 7 game against the Patriots. That represents double the amount of the $11,941 fine imposed on Williams last week for wearing the forbidden footwear in Week 6 against the Falcons.
Williams has said that he plans to continue wearing Caddix shoes, which do not have a deal with the league. He presumably will appeal the second fine.
“I’m huge into trying to stay on the field,” Williams said Wednesday. “I’m huge into trying to be healthy. It’s a rough game and things like that. So the cleats, they’ve been great. They’ve been super comfy and they’ve worked. They are a science-type of cleat. It’s something that focuses on when you plant on the hard plants on turf or grass, they call them SmartStuds, and they move when you move in these hard plants. They take tension off of your tendons, your joints and all of that. So over the course of a long career or over the course of a long year, when you can take some percentage — it could be one, it could be 50, it could be 12, it could be whatever, you know. When you take that percentage off consistently over a period of time, you know, you get to have the chance, a higher chance of being healthy. And so that’s what I focus on.
“I try to be healthy. They’re smart cleats. They’re science cleats, and they’ve been working for me. A bunch of other guys wear them in the league, and they’re forward-focused on making sure players stay on the field, and that’s what I’m always focused on.”
The appeal of Williams’s fine for Week 6 has not yet been resolved.
Presumably, the league will continue to impose fines in increasing amounts unless and until Williams complies. At some point, the league could (in theory) prevent Williams from playing in the non-conforming shoes. Neither fine letter, however, warns him that he could be kept from playing with the Caddix shoes.
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