Two police union leaders are so outraged that the NFL denied Titan Avery Williamson wearing a patriotic pair of cleats honoring those who died on 9/11, that they promised to pay his fine if he wears them in Sunday’s game anyway.
Williamson had hoped to wear a pair of specially-designed cleats at his team’s home opener Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, but he backed off when a league rep vowed to fine him for violating the league’s uniform code.
The left cleat says 9-11-01, with the 11 in the outline of the Twin Towers, while the right one says Never Forget.
“I don’t want to draw negative attention, so I’m just going to focus on playing the game,”Williamson told the Tennessean newspaper, on Friday.
The news outraged Paul Nunziato, head of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association.
Nunziato has teamed up with Patrick Colligan, president of the 33,000 member New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association, who was equally upset about the threatened fine.
Both union leaders say they’re urging Williamson to reconsider and wear the cleats – and the two unions will pay his fine.
Williamson plans to auction the cleats for charity.
