Facing what could have been yet another PR nightmare, the National Football League has reversed course and will let the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans participate in the “My Cause My Cleats” campaign this upcoming week.
Actually, players from the two teams on a bye last week can participate in #mycausemycleats https://t.co/A5xXEiWuDp
— Natalie Ravitz (@Nravitz) December 5, 2016
The 30 teams that played this week all had players participate in the campaign that helped raise awareness for causes close to the hearts of those in the NFL.
From Dallas Cowboys tight end Gavin Escobar helping to ignite public knowledge of testicular cancer to this Atlanta Falcons rookie taking on police brutality, hundreds of players participated in the program this past week. The Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets will do the same on Monday Night Football.
The NFL’s decision to change its stance comes on the heels of multiple Tennessee Titans players threatening to defy the league and wear the specialized cleats next week (more on that here).
“We heard the players’ concerns, considered it and reached out to both teams that had byes to confirm they can participate in Week 14,” NFL Senior Vice President of Communications Natalie Ravitz said on Twitter Monday evening.
This is definitely something the NFL needed to do. And while it seemed like common sense, we have to give the league credit for getting it right this time. That’s been far from the case as it relates to the league’s handling of similar situations in the past.