On Thursday, the New Orleans Saints rookie running back Alvin Kamara posted an image over social media that showed a fine letter from the NFL as a result of him wearing Christmas-themed red cleats with white trim during last Sunday’s Christmas Eve victory over Atlanta. Kamara even captioned the picture and wrote: “Tis the season.”
Even before he received the fine letter from the NFL, Kamara told the media that he most likely knew he would be fined by the league Sunday. Kamara says that it was all worth it and that he has no regrets about wearing the red cleats during the game. He is hoping to use the publicity he received from the banned red cleats into a fundraiser to supply athletic footwear to those children whose families cannot afford it.
Even though he did not reveal the amount charged as the fine but going by the reports, the NFL fined Kamara an amount of $6,079. As per the NFL guidelines, most of the uniform violations typically cost $6,079 or the first offense and later $12,154 for any other subsequent infractions.
During the pregame warm-ups last Sunday, most of the players wore holiday-themed cleats as it was the Christmas Eve. But later, before the kickoff, the payers changed and wore the conventional NFL-compliant footwear designs that matched their uniforms.
Kamara’s red cleats were topped by a thick white lining reminiscent of the trim on a Santa Claus costume, along with bells. Even though he removed the bells for the game, he continued wearing the cleats. The officials even warned him that he was violating league uniform standards, but still, Kamara did not switch to the regular NFL-compliant footwear.
Kamara gained 90 yards from scrimmage in his red cleats. He later light-heartedly said that his fine makes the NFL look like the ‘Grinch.’
