Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson was fined for wearing cleats that depicted yellow caution tape on Oct. 2 vs. the Browns, and Jackson told reporters Wednesday he knew the fine was coming but wanted to get his message out.
Both Jackson and the Redskins issued statements on his shoes the morning he wore them. Jackson said he chose “to wear these cleats in pregame today to use my platform as a pro athlete to add to this discussion. This isn’t meant to be any kind of protest against the good men and women in law enforcement in this country. I just want to express my concern in a peaceful and productive way about issues that are currently impacting our country.”
Per ESPN.com, Jackson was fined $6,076 for a uniform violation. He initially planned to wear the cleats only in pregame warmups but ended up wearing them for the game.
Jackson said he won’t appeal the fine and is exploring ways to do more in the offseason to bring communities together and end police brutality.
The Redskins’ statement said they stood “in support of both DeSean and the law enforcement community” and were committed to having “open dialogue with our players about issues that are important to them and support their efforts to bring awareness to those issues when done in a responsible manner.”