Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Mularkey has offered to pay any fine the NFL might impose on Avery Williamson after the linebacker wore custom 9/11 remembrance cleats on Sunday.
In fact, Mularkey said he would have been “disappointed” if the threat of a fine stopped Williamson from wearing the kicks.
“I said, ‘I’m going to shoot you straight like I shoot everybody straight: If you don’t wear those shoes, I’ll be very disappointed in you. Because all I want from you guys is to do things the right way,'” Mularkey said, per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. “And him wearing those shoes is him doing something the right way.
“If he gets a fine, I’m going to take care of that.”
Ironically, Mularkey could face a fine himself just for saying that. As Kuharsky notes, the NFL’s policy on fines and appeals states that team executives and coaches can be fined for “condoning, permitting, etc., violations in this area.” While it is not a written rule, it is also believed that teams are not allowed to pay fines imposed on players.
Multiple players could be fined for uniform violations after they paid tribute to the victims of the 9/11 attacks on Sunday, though the NFL has not yet announced any disciplinary action. If you want to know why Williamson chose to go through with wearing his cleats, you can read his explanation here.
