In March, Washington proposed a rule that would allow teams to say “no thanks” to the Color Rush program. The NFL did not adopt that rule. Washington said “no thanks” to the Color Rush program anyway.
For Thursday night’s game at Dallas, a designated Color Rush occasion that saw the Cowboys wearing their approved, Nikefied white-on-white duds, Washington did not wear its official Color Rush gold-on-gold ensemble that is available for purchase, just in time for the holidays. Instead, Washington wore its usual burgundy jerseys, along with its burgundy pants.
It’s unclear why or how Washington avoided the obligation, or whether the league authorized it. (A request for comment has been submitted to the NFL and to the team.) The fact that Washington felt compelled to propose a rule change suggests that compliance isn’t optional. The fact that the league didn’t adopt the proposed rule change reinforces that point.
Regardless, Washington decided not to comply. Based on the quality (or lack thereof) of some of the other Color Rush uniforms, here’s hoping other teams follow suit.
UPDATE 2:08 p.m. ET: The NFL says that teams have gotten “more flexibility” when it comes to the Color Rush program. Basically, they can ditch the predetermined uniforms as long as they choose matching jerseys and pants from their normal color schemes.
