QB Colin Kaepernick still rocking Beats by Dre headphones after beating
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN)
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Only in the NFL will you be fined more for wearing a rival brand than for committing an illegal physical play on the field.
The league fined San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick $10,000 Thursday for wearing his Beats by Dre headphones during the team’s postgame interview last Sunday. The NFL had during televised interviews — in practices and games — because Bose signed on as its official headphone sponsor. Starting before kickoff on game days and extending through 90 minutes afterward, Beats headphones cannot be worn by players.
That didn’t stop Kaepernick, though.
The quarterback, who last December, kept his bright pink headphones (you’d think he’d at least get a discount for supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month) draped around his neck while speaking to reporters after the 49ers’ win over the Chiefs.
It seemed inevitable that players would be fined for wearing Beats; you break the rules, you pay the consequences. But $10,000? That’s $1,732 more than the amount the league fines first-time offenders of on-field penalties — something the Broncos know all too well this season. against the Texans, against the Seahawks, that injured Cardinals’ defensive end Calais Campbell — all cost $8,268, an amount negotiated in the CBA.
Of course, this likely won’t affect Kaepernick’s account at all. As a Beats athlete, the company would likely pay for his fine, but that’s certainly not something Kaepernick would admit himself. “I’m going to let that be unanswered,” he said.
The lesson here: Don’t mess with the NFL’s money.
