Getty ImagesEarlier this year, Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III defied the league’s apparel agreement by covering up the Nike logo on his pregame warmups. Twice. The NFL didn’t fine him for those relatively minor transgressions.
After a Week 14 win over the Ravens, however, Griffin arrived at his post-game press conference wearing an Adidas T-shirt and sweatsuit. The NFL has reacted by fining Griffin $10,000, according to CSNWashington.com.
The problem is obvious. Griffin has an individual endorsement deal with Adidas. The NFL has an exclusive apparel deal with Nike.
Players are prohibited from wearing apparel or hats or other stuff that conflicts with NFL sponsorship agreements. For example, Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was fined $100,000 for wearing a VitaminWater hat to a Super Bowl press conference in early 2007.
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Wow get a grip this isn’t NASCAR
LOL, NIKE paid good money for that exclusive apparel license. They were probably screaming at the NFL over RG3. So the NFL just passed the love right down to RG3
tony romo keeps wearing his starter hat, i havent heard or seen him fined for it yet. nbc snf publishes his picture..
Scramble somebody’s brains = $10-20k fine
Wear wrong hat =$100k fine
The NFL care more for player or sponsor safety?
John Mara must get a kickback from Nike. The Mara Football League rolls on. Just surprised Baby John didn’t suspend RGIII for the year. Wellington rolls over in his grave. Hail!
Brian Urlacher in 2007: “I don’t care about the NFL apparel agreement.”
Big deal…..Adidas and Vitamin Water probably each paid Griffin/Urlacher 10x more than the fine anyway.
I bet addidas was like wear this out there and we’ll compensate you for the fine
RG3 wearing that Adidas gear to one press conference probably brought in well above 10k.
Adidas will pay his fine. Probably already did. Up front. This was obviously planned on thier part.
Isn’t the press rgiii gives Nike after being fined more advertising than if he didn’t cover up the swoosh?
Probably gets covered by Adidas.
I’m sure adidas took care of the bill.
If you notice, Romo doesn’t wear a Starter hat on the sidelines during games or post game press conferences. Not sure what the apparel rules are in the locker room or practices. Also, notice that Brady and Roethlisberger cover up the logo on their wrist coach. They prefer a non-approved NFL one.
Adidas probably paid RGIII $20,000 to wear that gear and pickup a $10,000 fine.
Illini–You do have a point using common sense. The fine schedules were negotiated in the CBA so the players association agreed to those terms. Players themselves might not like it, but sponsors have the $ and the league and wouldn’t be the same without them, so their interests are obviously important to the league. Player safety fines seem like more of a PR exercise to show the league’s disapproval for safety issues.
They should fine him for wearing that redic arm band while there’re at it!
Adidas and Vitamin water don’t mind paying a couple fines
It’s simple. Follow the rules of your employer or get a new job. I have a dress policy at work. Most of us do.
Considering the League doesn’t collect even half the fines they levy, and the contract he has, I really don’t think he cares about it.
It’s not Simple. He just had his knee wrapped around a 325 lb man. He normally wears a suit to a presser but he could not fit his suit pants around the brace he was wearing. This is another case of the NFL fine you first and look at the facts later………
I think it’s amazing that the Premier Soccer League allows its players to wear whatever shoes they want during all games and the NoFunLeague is worried about a silly hat. Also the shoes all have to be of a team color. Is this the NFL or the Rockettes? PSL have a much bigger audience and they aren’t worried. and as was said before Adidas will pay the fine. NFL get over yourself.
$10,000? I’d be surprised if that was a tenth of the money he’s getting from Adidas.
Heck, I’d be surprised if Adidas didn’t pay this fine for him.
so he cant wear his carleton sweaters anymore?
F’n BS again! If a player is not fined for wearing a designer suit at a post game interview then no way in hell Rg should be fined for what he wore. SOOOOOOO tired of this crap as a fan I realy HATE what the NFL organization is today! NFL is now a BAD word
Wow, and Tom Brady doesn’t get fined for wearing UnderArmor shoes during a game?
Nice work the league office has done this year. Really keeping things classy and in perspective.
There’s a rob Parker black punch line somewhere in this!
That’s cause who the hell still knows what Starter is?
So prior to the fine adidas had one ad at the press conference now they have ads from every publication that reports this. Is the NFL really helping Nike or their own cause by doing this?
good pub for addias, as I’m sure some of his fans perhaps weren’t even aware he had a sponsorship with that company and are probably now looking at their website for additional RG3 items for Christmas shopping…I’d never even heard of Vitamin Water before Urlacher/Super Bowl…
If it’s arule then it should be followed, plain and simple,If they get paid to wear NIKE then they wear NIKE,rules are rules and some atheletes think they are above them so we have to make sure the NFL shows them they don’t run the NFL as much as they would like to so it was a simple answer!
Imagine doing an un swoosh thing like that.
#conormacleod
He’s not going to get kicked out of the NFL for not adhering to the dress code. If the maximum amount of punishment you received from your job was a day on the street without pay and you were getting paid 3x that much by another company to wear their clothes to your work, who would also compensate you for your days worth of lost pay, you can bet your bottom dollar you would gladly take that day on the street.