The NFL’s uniform police have busted Robert Griffin III.
Griffin has been fined $10,000 by the NFL for an apparel violation, the Washington Post reports. The fine is apparently for wearing a T-shirt reading “Operation Patience” while he warmed up before the game against the Steelers at FedEx Field. Although Griffin didn’t play in the game, he’s still required to follow the NFL’s uniform rules while appearing with the team, and one of those rules is that only certain clothing is permitted.
“Operation Patience” is what Griffin has called the team’s plan to hold him out for the entire preseason as he recovers from knee surgery.
Griffin was also fined $10,000 by the NFL last year for wearing Adidas gear at a post-game press conference. The NFL has an exclusive apparel deal with Nike. Griffin has shown his loyalty to Adidas in the past by covering up the Nike logo on his clothing during pregame warmups.
Griffin is far from the first player to run into this kind of trouble. Wes Welker got fined $10,000 for wearing an unauthorized hat in a post-game interview, Alex Smith was threatened with a $15,000 fine for wearing a San Francisco Giants hat, and Brian Urlacher was fined a whopping $100,000 for wearing an unauthorized hat at Super Bowl media day.
