NFL's 'My Cleats, My Cause' Campaign Returning for Week 13 This Season

After a successful campaign last season, the NFL is once again allowing players to sport custom cleats in promotion of a charity in Week 13.

Jonathan Jones | Aug 23, 2017

NFL's 'My Cleats, My Cause' Campaign Returning for Week 13 This Season /

After the success of the NFL’s "My Cleats, My Cause" campaign last season, the league will bring back its popular customized cleats event this season, a league source told The MMQB.

NFL players will be allowed to wear customized cleats that reflect their commitment to charitable causes during Week 13 games. They were allowed to do this during Week 13 last season, in a story first reported by SI.com.

This is part of a continued effort by the league to relax its rigid uniform policy that has long been in place. Earlier this month, a league memo informed teams that players will be allowed to wear personalized cleats during “pre-game activities prior to team warmups.” The memo, first reported by ESPN and obtained by The MMQB, also states players can wear solid black, white or a secondary team color rather than the previous rule of the dominant color that had been declared pre-game by the team.

Furthermore, the league will allow different colored cleats, shoelaces and wristbands during Weeks 5-7 of this season as part of its “Crucial Catch” campaign. Weeks 5-7 fall in the month of October, which since 2009 had been the league’s month for breast cancer awareness. That will change this season as teams and players will be able to choose from various cancers to highlight and support awareness for.

Nearly 500 players supported myriad causes during the “My Cleats, My Cause” campaign last year, from battling diseases and illnesses to supporting clean water and local Boys and Girls Clubs. A league source indicated that no fewer than 1,300 players have expressed interest in the campaign this season. Stories promoting individual player’s causes will begin during Week 8.

The best of the NFL's custom cleats for charity in Week 13

Dak Prescott

Huddle Up for Life, an organization that funds colon cancer research. Prescott lost his mom to colon cancer in 2013.

Ezekiel Elliott

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Texas

Aaron Rodgers

Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer (MACC)

Von Miller

Von's Vision, Miller's charity that gives glasses to children in need.

DeAngelo Williams

Breast cancer awareness. Williams lost his mother to breast cancer in 2014.

Antonio Brown

Big Brothers Big Sisters

Drew Brees

The Brees Dream Foundation, which improves the quality of life for cancer patients.

Kirk Cousins

International Justice Mission

Richard Sherman

Blanket Coverage, Sherman's foundation that provides school supplies and clothing to children in need.

Emmanuel Sanders

Emmanuel Sanders Foundation, supporting homeless families in America.

Vernon Davis

Vernon Davis Foundation for the Arts

Jimmy Graham

Angel Flight Soars, which provides free flights for families needing medical treatment.

Jordan Howard

Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. Howard's father, nicknamed "Doc," died from the disease in 2007.

Derek Carr

Valley Children's Healthcare and promoting neonatal care.

Larry Fitzgerald

First Down Fund, Fitzgerald's organization that funds positive activities for children.

Blake Bortles

BB5 Foundation

Devon Still

Still Strong Foundation, which fights childhood cancer.

Tyrann Mathieu

RISE, an organization that promotes racial equality and social progress through sports.

Jameis Winston

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

LeSean McCoy

ALS Association

DeAndre Hopkins

Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse (AVDA) of Texas

Brock Osweiler

Ronald McDonald House, fighting childhood cancer.

Greg Olsen

The HEARTest Yard, which supports children with congenital heart defects.

Clay Matthews

CureDuchenne

Tyrod Taylor

Olmsted Center for Sight, helping the blind and visually impaired.

Carson Palmer

Phoenix Children's Hospital

Brandin Cooks

American Heart Association

Delanie Walker

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)

Eric Berry

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, an organization that funds Hodgkin's lymphoma research. Berry was diagnosed with the disease in 2014 but is now cancer-free.

Marcus Peters

Fam 1st Family Foundation, an organization that empowers and educates youth in the Bay Area.

Vincent Jackson

Jackson in Action 83 Foundation, an organization that provides support to military families.

Jarvis Landry

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Doug Baldwin

Southern Youth Sports Association - Pensacola

Dont'a Hightower

American Diabetes Association

Matt Ryan

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

David Johnson

Anti-bullying

Only one player is known to have been fined for his cleats during Week 13 last year. Former Eagles receiver Dorial Green-Beckham wore Yeezy cleats by rapper Kanye West. Green-Beckham claimed he wore the cleats for the Yeezy Foundation, but that didn’t pass with the league and he was fined $6,076 for wearing unapproved cleats.

Published Aug 23, 2017

JONATHAN JONES