Nike Threatens to Cut Endorsement Deals of NFL Players Who Customize Cleats

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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NFL stars under contract from Nike, you've been warned.

Nike recently sent out a letter to players across the NFL telling them to stop customizing their cleats, or else Nike will terminate their endorsement deal. Cleat customization is a big thing around the NFL these days, as players like Marshawn Lynch, Reggie Bush, and DeSean Jackson have all hit the field rocking Nike cleats with their own spin on them. Nike apparently caught wind of this, and wasn't too happy as they sent out a letter reminding players the point of the deal is make sure the Swoosh is visible on TV during games.

The letter reminds players that "Your Nike Football Contract requires that you wear 'Nike' products that have been designated by Nike Sports Marketing for such use."

The threat to terminate the contract comes later in the letter, "Nike views third-party customization (or post-embellishment) of Nike footwear to be a violation of the contract, triggering Nike's right to immediately terminate the contract."

Image via TMZ
Image via TMZ

Looking at this from Nike's point of view, we can totally understand where they're coming from. Having customized cleats that cover up the Nike Swoosh is counteractive to why the athlete's are wearing Nike in the first place, and make it tougher for consumers to distinguish which cleats are being worn. From the players perspective, customization allows a further way to express yourself on the field, which has all but been stripped by the Goodell hierarchy. We've seen Nike drop multiple athlete's this year due to their off the field issues, but hopefully the letter will get the point across to Swoosh endorsed athletes in the league, and we won't have any issues going further.

Let us know what you think of Nike's decision, and check out the full letter sent to players here.

[TMZ]

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