NFL Says Titans And Browns Can Play In Their Cleats For A Cause In Week 14 [Update]

The Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns were the only two NFL teams with byes this week, which meant that their players weren’t able to wear their customized cleats for the league’s “My Cause, My Cleats” campaign for Week 13. They won’t be able to participate next week, either.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Sunday that the two teams won’t have the league’s permission for their cleats next week, although their shoes will still be auctioned off and their causes promoted. That seems dumb of the NFL to not pick a week where all the teams were playing.

Browns receiver Terrelle Pryor said yesterday that he would like to wear a cause on his cleats, but would prefer to not be fined.

ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky spoke with Titans players Jason McCourty and Delanie Walker; both of them plan to eat the fines and wear their custom cleats anyway in Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

“I believe you should be [allowed], so I’ll be wearing mine for the game,” Jason said.

“... There are a lot of things I guess they should or shouldn’t do. It’s just one of those things where it is what it is. I guess at some point there were going to be two teams at any given week that wouldn’t be playing, so you kind of get screwed in that sense. That just happened to be us.”

Weird, it’s like the NFL put together this campaign for itself.

Update (6:51 p.m. ET): NFL Senior Vice President of Communications Natalie Ravitz said minutes ago that both the Titans and Browns will be able to wear their customized cleats in Week 14.

The players won’t be fined. “We spoke with both teams today to confirm that,” Ravitz wrote in a message.

The headline has been changed to reflect the new information.

H/t to Nick