There’s been a lot of pink around the league this month as part of the annual push to raise awareness for breast cancer, but penalty flags have remained yellow.
That will change this Sunday at the Meadowlands. Whenever the Dolphins or Jets run afoul of the rules, they’ll find out when a pink flag hits the turf. The NFL announced the switch on Wednesday and said it came at the suggestion of an 11-year-old boy from New Jersey.
Dante Cano wrote a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and asked whether the league would consider using pink penalty flags as part of their commemoration. He asked if Goodell would “please write back” but Goodell did the young man one better and implemented his plan.
“Dante had a great idea and I am looking forward to meeting with him on Sunday to put it into action,” Goodell said in a statement from the league. “Sometimes the simplest ideas can be the best. I applaud Dante for sending in his recommendation.”
According to Judy Battista of the New York Times, who spoke with Cano’s mother, it will be the first time a color other than yellow has been used for penalty flags since 1965.
Photo via NFL
