Earlier this month, before Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams picked up a fine for having personal messages (albeit breast cancer-related) on his eye back, Williams said he unsuccessfully sought permission to wear pink in honor of breast cancer awareness all year.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the request came not in October of 2015, but in April of 2014, when Williams was still with the Panthers. And it wasn’t a request; according to the source, Williams told the league office that he intended to wear pink every week, and that he had set aside more than $1 million to pay the fines.
The league persuaded Williams not to go through with it, in part by pointing out that Williams would be forfeiting money that would be given to charities that support former players, not breast cancer awareness or prevention. So it would be better, the league argued, for Williams to conform and not be fined than to wear pink and lose a lot of money that otherwise could be donated by him to cancer-related organizations.
It’s an important piece of background information, because it suggests that Williams has now changed his mind, and that he’ll continue to defy the league and pay the fines, which will double for a second violation to more than $11,000 but then remain there until he stops.
Williams has appeal rights, and it’s possible that he’ll argue that former Bengals defensive lineman Devon Still wasn’t fined last year for wearing “Leah Strong” on his eye black in honor of his daughter, who was fighting cancer.
Regardless of how it turns out, the situation highlights the discrepancy between the NFL’s willingness to permit limited deviations from the standard uniform and the players’ desire to stretch those exceptions even farther.
