The ongoing battle between the NFL uniform police and Odell Beckham Jr. spread to another member of the Cleveland Browns’ receiving corps on Sunday, as both Beckham and Jarvis Landry were reportedly told to change their custom cleats or not play in the second half.
According to a report by CBS during the broadcast of the Browns’ game at Denver, the NFL told Beckham and Landry they would have to change their cleats at halftime or they would not be allowed back on the field.
Beckham was wearing white cleats with red and blue paint resembling the face of the character in the latest “Joker” movie, while Landry was wearing gold cleats with orange laces. Both players played a series shortly before halftime, after the CBS report, before changing their cleats during the break.
Per the NFL rule book, “a player may wear shoes that are black, white or any constitutional team color, or any combination of black, white and a constitutional team color.”
Both players returned to the field wearing new cleats which conformed to the rules, and both played in the second half. Beckham finished with five catches for 87 yards, while Landry had six grabs for 51 yards and a touchdown. The Broncos won the game 24-19.
The NFL reportedly met with Beckham after he wore a $190,000 watch during the game in the Browns’ season opener, then fined him more than $14,000 for wearing pants that did not cover his knees last month.