Bears quarterback Caleb Williams skips logoed cleats after fines
Caleb Williams chose to wear unbranded cleats in Week 8, avoiding further NFL fines and saying he wants to keep the controversy to a minimum.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams wore cleats without any branding in the team's Week 8 game, a move that prevented an additional fine after the league penalized him for wearing shoes with a company logo in the two previous weeks. The NFL had fined Williams $11,941 for Week 6 and $23,882 for Week 7 for using Caddix cleats that displayed the brand's logo.
"Just to calm things down, man," Williams said after the Bears' 34-17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. "This was a big week, and I'm not here to create any BS towards a team. I want to keep that to a minimum for my side. Obviously, I get a lot of media, so I just try to minimize that as much as possible."
Williams, who does not currently have a shoe sponsorship, opted for plain cleats to avoid further penalties. The decision highlights the tension between players' footwear choices and the league's equipment regulations.