The NFL Doesn’t Care About Your Dear Departed Parents

The league recently denied two players the chance to grieve on the field.

Adam K. Raymond

Oct 14, 2015

As a part of an ongoing effort to prove that it’s the absolute worst, the NFL is currently waging a campaign against players who want to honor their dead parents on the field. You’re not surprised at all, are you?

Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward was the most recent victim of the NFL’s anti-grieving agenda. On Monday night he wrote the words “Iron” and “Head” on his eye black to honor his father Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, a longtime NFL running back who died of cancer in 2006. On Tuesday, he was fined $5,787 by the league for his transgression. Apparently he had run afoul of the league’s strict uniform policy.

That’s the same policy that will prevent Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams from wearing pink on his uniform after October. As you’ve no doubt noticed, NFL players wear pink throughout the month of October to help raise awareness of breast cancer (which, we should note, does not help raise money for breast cancer research despite all the money the league rakes in). Or to make it look like the league cares about women. Not sure which of those it is.

Williams, however, wants to wear pink all year round because to him, breast cancer is very personal. His mother died from the disease in 2014. But the NFL is unmoved. NFL vice president of football operations Troy Vincent told Williams there are no exceptions to its uniform policy. No pink after October. So Williams got creative. Instead of sporting pink accessories November, December and beyond, he’ll sport pink hair (see the picture above).

So far, the league hasn’t told Williams to cut his mane off, but if you don’t think Roger Goodell’s thinking up a way to justify that, you don’t know the NFL.

Photos by DeAngelo Williams

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The NFL Doesn’t Care About Your Dear Departed Parents

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