Jordan Brand and fines over shoes seem to be synonymous.
Jalen Hurts wore mismatched Air Jordan 11 cleats when the quarterback led his Philadelphia Eagles to victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-13 on Dec. 15. His footwear reportedly landed him a $5,628 for violating the NFL’s uniform and equipment rules.
According to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, Hurts was fined “for wearing a shoe color that’s not one of the Eagles’ ‘Constitutional team colors.'” On Twitter (X), Pelissero quoted the league’s rulebook, which stated, “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.”
On Friday, Jordan Brand — which has backed Hurts since August 2023 — confirmed it will pay the fine. The brand also provided a photo of the letter confirming the fine.
“We’re paying the fine. You can’t ban greatness,” Jordan Brand said in a emailed statement.
A fine of this nature is a familiar one to those who love sneakers. In 1984, the NBA sent a letter to Nike in February 1985 that stated Michael Jordan’s black-and-red shoes worn “on or around October 18, 1984” violated the league’s dress code rules. The story that has been shared for decades, which has never been confirmed with concrete evidence, is that Nike paid a $5,000 fine every time Jordan wore the shoes. This led to Nike’s brilliant marketing campaign promoting the Air Jordan 1 that has stood the test of time. (Though the campaign promoted the Air Jordan 1, the shoes MJ would have worn at the time of the violation was the Nike Air Ship.)
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.
