These guys are true blue.
Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz paid their respects to the victims of 9/11 on Sunday by wearing the patriotic commemorative cleats as the Giants took on the Cowboys in Dallas — despite NFL warnings that players would be fined for wearing the un-sanctioned footwear.
Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz plan to wear special 9/11 cleats for today's season opener. pic.twitter.com/mt8uciDJ41
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 11, 2016
Beckham’s special cleats were red, white and blue and emblazoned with the bust of a bald eagle. Cruz’s cleats had red and white stripes splashed with blue-star accents.
Beckham’s shoes portrayed the Twin Towers, while Cruz’s had a fire-truck theme that featured his late father’s engine number. His dad was a smokeater in Paterson, NJ, before his death in 2007.
Tennessee Titans linebacker Avery Williamson also opted to wear star-spangled 9/11 commemorative cleats in his team’s game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
After Williamson announced last week that he would be wearing the cleats, the NFL — notorious for conformity — informed players they would be fined if they didn’t wear the league’s white regulation shoes. The fine for a first offense is $6,076.00.
Multiple unions leaders said Saturday they would pick up the check if Williamson opted to wear his specially designed cleats.
Additional reporting by Brian Costello and Paul Schwartz
