Falcons CB Brian Poole wearing ‘stop police brutality’ cleats

The NFL is allowing players to wear cleats that have special messages written on them this week. It’s a way for players to help the public become aware of causes that are dear to them.

We saw Dallas Cowboys tight end Gavin Escobar wear cleats that told us a story about his battle with cancer on Thursday. And we will see hundreds of players wearing similar messages during Sunday’s slate of action.

Atlanta Falcons rookie cornerback Brian Poole is taking this one step further by wearing cleats with a simple message embedded on them.

“Stop police brutality.”

This is definitely a protest of sorts. A quiet protest directed at one of the most divisive issues in American society today. We heard players speak up about this in the past with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick spearheading a national anthem protest over the past several months.

Poole himself tweeted out a picture of the cleats with the caption “my cleats, our cause.”

Poole, a University of Florida product, went undrafted this past spring. He’s since been elevated to a starting role and has played exceedingly well as a rookie, recording 40 tackles, six passes defended and two fumble recoveries.