Caleb Williams Will Keep Wearing Caddix Cleats Despite NFL Fine; Joe Flacco Offers to Pay
The Bears quarterback was fined $11,941 for an unauthorized logo and says he won't cover it up, citing injury prevention
Caleb Williams isn't changing shoes. The Bears quarterback said Wednesday he'll keep wearing Caddix cleats even after the NFL fined him $11,941 for wearing them in Chicago's Week 6 win at Atlanta, ESPN's Courtney Cronin reported.
The fine was for a uniform violation. Only Nike, Adidas and Under Armour have partnerships with the league, so a player wearing another brand has to cover its logo. Williams told ESPN he doesn't plan to black out the Caddix logo Monday night at Seattle. He has already appealed the Week 6 fine, and it's unclear whether he'll be fined again for wearing the same cleats in last Thursday's 30-24 win over the Patriots.
Williams framed it as a health decision. Caddix builds its cleats around studs designed to flex during cuts and reduce the torque that travels into the knees and ankles.
"[I'm] focused on my health. I'm focused on being able to be out here for the guys. And if that can give me a small percentage up and it works, then that's what I'm going to do."
— Caleb Williams
That carries some weight given his season. Williams missed Weeks 3 through 5 with a torn hamstring, then returned against the Falcons and posted back-to-back 300-yard passing games, the first Bears quarterback to do it since Mitchell Trubisky in 2018. He doesn't have a contract with Caddix and wore Nike in his first two seasons.
He won't be paying for it, either way. Caddix has a hearing with the league on Nov. 10 and plans to cover the fine if the appeal fails. Joe Flacco, one of the company's athlete advisors, said in a statement that if Williams is fined again, "I'll pay the fine myself."
The 5-2 Bears visit the Seahawks on Monday night.