Pittsburgh Steelers DE Cam Heyward will not allow a little fine to block him from honoring his late father who died of cancer in 2006.
Heyward, who was fined $5,785 for writing the words “Iron Head” in his eye black last week, responded by paying the same exact tribute to his father during Sunday’s 25-13 win against the Arizona Cardinals.
The defensive end has chosen to take a stand against the NFL’s uniform policy and will face a second fine of $11,576. The fines will double each time he wears the message without approval from the NFL.
Heyward signed a six-year deal worth $59.25 million in July, so these two fines are small change to the lineman, but it will be interesting to see how long he continues to fight the fines after they begin to pile up or if he’s threatened with a suspension.
No matter the outcome, it’s extremely commendable for a player like Hayward to take a stand against the league for such a worthy cause. Maybe his efforts can spark a change in the NFL’s policy; I wouldn’t bet on it though.
