- The NFL has already come under fire for purporting to care about women's issues, and denying a player the opportunity to further bring awareness to a league initiative won't do much for public perception.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as a result many corporations take the opportunity to do their part, spreading the word and raising money for a cause that affects one in eight U.S. women (and a small percentage of men, too). The NFL's "A Crucial Catch" effort to encourage annual screenings is no different, as the league donates 100 percent of the proceeds from its pink merchandise and auctions off game-worn pink items in an effort to raise awareness for a deadly disease. That's all good stuff.The cause is near and dear to Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams' heart, because he lost his mother Sandra Hill in May 2014 and four aunts all to the disease. That's horrible, so you can see why Williams would prefer to raise breast cancer awareness throughout the year — not just in October.The NFL isn't cool with that.
As Lisa Salters first reported during the Monday Night Football broadcast of the Steelers' 24-20 win over the San Diego Chargers — and soon relayed by ESPN colleague Field Yates on Twitter — Williams' request to wear pink throughout the season was denied by the NFL. That would of course be a violation of the league's 31-page outline on equipment rules and would carry a $5,787 fine for a first offense.
Williams has long found ways to circumnavigate the rules, even dyeing his dreadlocks and painting his toenails pink last season, but how dare he try to don a pair of pink cleats in November. Outrageous!Next thing you know players would be wearing rainbow flag strips under their eyes in support of LGBT rights, and the NFL certainly couldn't be seen doing that. (I hope you sense the sarcasm here.)
Because of a series of public relations missteps in the recent past, the NFL has probably caught excessive blowback on its "A Crucial Catch" campaign — namely, that the league's apparel partners still profit off the pink merchandise, even if all of the NFL's licensing proceeds are donated, and that those donations go to awareness rather than actual research. Even if it's only a month out of the year, it's still a positive for the cause, but you'd think the league could make an exception in Williams' case.
What's the worst that could happen? Le'Veon Bell says, "Hey, why can't I wear pink to raise more awareness"? In fact, Williams made the best point about all of this when writing for MMQB in May 2014.
Breast cancer, whether I like it or not, is part of my family’s story. That’s why I am so passionate about raising awareness, because I have seen firsthand how it can impact others. One time, a lady came up to me and said she was going to get examined just because she saw me wearing pink cleats during a game. I walked away thinking, Wow, pink is really so much more than just a color. It’s a lifesaver. It’s awareness. If we reach one, we reach millions. If we reach millions, we’re doing our job and getting closer to finding a cure.
Remember, only if it's in October, DeAngelo. Otherwise, it just doesn't benefit the NFL brand.
- - - - - - -
Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don't Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
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