The NFL has clear, inflexible rules when it comes to the apparel worn by coaches and players on the sideline who aren’t in uniform.
Sometimes, they’re not quite so inflexible.
As explained by Jonathan Jones of The Athletic, the NFL talked to — but did not fine — Rams defensive end Myles Garrett for wearing a Nike Jumpman tracksuit that didn’t match the team’s colors during last Monday night’s game against the Bills.
Via Jones, the league didn’t dip into Garrett’s considerable coffers. The situation was regarded as falling into the “gray area” that the league and the NFL Players Association recently acknowledged as to celebrations; for certain potential infractions, the NFL will now warn first and fine later.
In this case, the area is more green than gray. The NFL makes plenty of money from its Nike deal, and Garrett was wearing Nike gear. So, while Garrett wasn’t serving as an organic billboard for NFL gear made by Nike, he was modeling other Nike apparel.
On Sunday, Garrett kept it very generic, with a plain white T-shirt and plain gray shorts. There were no logos to be seen: Rams, NFL, or Nike.
Which is the perfect response. Unless and until the players get a direct piece of the sales of the non-uniform officially-licensed gear they’ve been issued, why should they market it?