The NFL lacks self-awareness or apparent sympathy when it comes to its uniform policy, but they solved their Cameron Heyward problem with the one commodity they have in abundance — money.
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, the league reduced both the fines the Steelers defensive end incurred for his “Iron Head” eye black to honor his late father who died of cancer. That’s a reasonable stance, especially since another player spent last year wearing a similar personal message wasn’t fined at all.
The first offense was $5,787 and the second would have been $11,576 fine , but a source said the fine was now “significantly less.”
Heyward had a conference call with league officials last night to address the matter, saying on Twitter that it was a “respectful exchange.”
“I consider myself a team player and someone who puts others before myself, and I don’t want to be a distraction to my teammates or the Steelers organization,” he wrote. “With that, I will not be writing on my eye black going forward anymore. I will be honoring my father in other ways on and off the field.”
Heyward started a charitable partnership with EyeBlack.com, and anyone buying pre-printed “Iron Head” eye black will be making a donation to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation, which his father Craig Heyward was associated with before his death in 2006.