Police unions in New York and New Jersey are promising to pay a fine the NFL may levy against Tennessee Titans linebacker Avery Williamson for wearing 9/11-themed cleats in Sunday’s game against the Vikings, according to multiple reports.
With Sunday marking the 15th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Williamson wanted to pay his respects by sporting the special shoes. Upon being informed by the NFL that a fine would be forthcoming if he violated the league’s uniform policy, Williamson changed plans and decided to auction to cleats to benefit Operation Warrior Wishes.
“I don’t want to draw negative attention, so I’m just going to focus on playing the game,” Williamson told The Tennessean on Friday. “Once I heard from (the NFL), I didn’t even try to argue anything. I just left it alone. I didn’t want to press the issue.”
Honoring #911Day @WarriorWishes by auctioning my cleats + meet/greet & #Titans tickets READ: https://t.co/OprfEiKcvZ pic.twitter.com/z0d8Z2qAVE
— Avery Williamson (@AWilliamson54) September 9, 2016
The police unions, though, are encouraging Williamson to move forward with his original idea and wear the 9/11 Nikes.
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Bobby Egbert, a spokesperson for the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association, the union that represents Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department officers, said in an email to The Tennessean:
“The PAPD is the police department that has always patrolled the World Trade Center complex. On September 11, 2001, the PAPD lost 37 police officers at the World Trade Center, the largest, single loss ever suffered by a police department in the history of American law enforcement. …
“We, along with the New Jersey State Police Benevolent Association, are offering to pay any reasonable fine levied by the NFL if Avery chooses to wear his 9/11 cleats.”
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Paul Nunziato, head of the union, accused NFL commissioner Roger Goodell “commit(ing) a personal foul against humanity.”
Nunziato told the New York Post, “I’m making a goal line stand on this. Enough is enough! The NFL is out of bounds on this.”
Patrick Colligan, president of the New Jersey police union, said his union and Nunziato’s will split the fine.
"Here’s a player honoring those who died on 9/11 with a pair of cleats that he had made up himself,” Colligan said, per The Post. “It’s not like he’s kneeling during the national anthem or anything.”