Chad Johnson Claims the NFL Once Fined Him for His ‘My Cause My Cleats’ Gesture

Celebrated by fans and charities alike, the National Football League’s ongoing ‘My Cause My Cleats’ has allowed several athletes to leave a lasting impact on their communities. Starting in 2016, the program now allows players to perform in customized cleats through Weeks 13 and 14.

The decision to allow for more creativity has proven successful. The league is now looking to eliminate the requirement for teams to declare a dominant footwear color prior to a game. However, before the recent changes, players such as Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson were left footing the bill for utilizing their creativity.

On the most recent episode of the Nightcap podcast, the former Cincinnati Bengal sat down with his Hall of Fame co-host, Shannon Sharpe. They discussed the impact of the league’s charity platform, along with the fact that they are owed some back pay.

Highlighting that the league now freely advertises a process that he used to be penalized for, Ocho said,

“That’s 2006… I’ve been doing My Cause My Cleats way back then in 2006 but I was getting penalized for mine… Just have a little fun, have a little creativity.”

Whether it was for a pair of golden cleats or simply a design that featured more than two colors, Johnson received his fair share of fashion-related fines throughout his 11-year NFL career.

Believing in both the NFL’s cause and the fact that Ocho is due his compensation, Sharpe jokingly raised the same issue as his co-host.

“Look, the NFL has relaxed a lot of rules. I like this My Cause My Cleats, for a worthy charity you auction the shoes off… Raise awareness… I like guys getting an opportunity to give back for a very worthy cause. But, damn. Y’all need to give me my money back and I donated.”

Despite petitioning for more creative freedom, the two did mention that not everybody should be wearing customized cleats. After realizing that “…guys who play specials, who might not even be active, they’ve got a cause,” Sharpe wasn’t having any more of it.

“How do you get cleats made for $5,000 and you play in four plays a game?”

A harsh but fair criticism, Sharpe simply wants there to be at least a semblance of tradition maintained. As the league continues to align itself with social media and advertising companies, the sensationalism and desire for individuals to stand out are likely to continue.

Nevertheless, Sharpe and Johnson’s complaints ultimately highlight how even the smaller aspects of the NFL are built on the efforts of the players who have done their best to ensure a quality product on the field. Given the amount of eyebrow-raising fines that are issued to players on a season-to-season basis, the two veterans seem to have been nothing more than the victims of the league’s propensity for finances.

Considering that 50% of all the money that the NFL collects from fines is used to facilitate the Players Assistance Trust, someone will get fined for something. Just hope it’s not you.