Since Earl Bennett decided to bust out his orange cleats, the Chicago Bears have come up with two huge NFC wins. The league may not approve, but it doesn’t sound like the shoes are going anywhere. Bennett was fined $5,000 last week for wearing them during a big Week 9 win over the Eagles. Despite the fine, he decided to wear them once again against the Lions this past weekend, this time drawing a $10,000 fine from the NFL for again violating the league’s uniform policy. Still, the cleats are staying.
“All week I didn’t practice in them,” Bennett told ESPN 1000 on Tuesday. “Usually the shoe I practice in I normally play in, but they were in my locker and I asked (his teammates) ‘Should I wear the orange shoes again?’ One of them was like ‘Most definitely, I’ll take care of it.’ So that’s how it went down.”
Bennett also said that the league has warned him he will be fined $15,000 if he wears them against San Diego this weekend and $20,000 if he does it the following weekend. After that, a delay of game and/or an ejection are possible. Considering Bennett has elevated his game and racked up 176 yards and a touchdown during the two games we has worn the kicks, it might take something more severe than a fine for the league to get him to stop.
When it comes to wearing things you aren’t supposed to, we know the NFL doesn’t mess around. Whether it means sporting Patriot colors or delivering a message on a towel, the rules are expected to be followed. If the Bears see the orange cleats as some sort of good luck charm and are going to chip in for Bennett to keep sporting them, fines aren’t going to cut it.
