NFL docks Panthers player for patriotic message on cleats
Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman’s salute to the troops will cost him several thousand bucks.
When Norman wore his custom, red-white-and-blue cleats in Sunday’s victory over Green Bay for the Panthers’ Salute to Service game, he predicted the NFL would fine him. The league didn’t disappoint, docking Norman $5,000, he said Thursday.
Norman said the issue wasn’t a color scheme that was different than the Panthers’ primary colors, but the fact that the Adidas cleats were emblazoned with the words, “proud, brave.”
“They got me for the wording that was on the side of it. I can’t have any words,” Norman said. “It is what it is.”
Norman said he’s appealing the decision.
The NFL fined Norman $11,000 for wearing silver cleats at Minnesota last season. He said the fine was reduced by half on appeal.
Norman plans to auction off the patriotic cleats online and donate the money to the troops at Fort Jackson, the Army training base in Columbia.
“Just give back to them and give them some hope and let them know we care about them and we love them as well,” Norman said. “That’s what I can do.”
Luke Kuechly returns to practice
Pro Bowl linebacker Luke Kuechly returned to practice Thursday after missing a day with a sprained ankle. Kuechly, who twisted his ankle twice against Green Bay, is set to play Sunday at Tennessee.
Left guard Andrew Norwell remains sidelined with a hamstring injury that kept him out of the Packers game. Amini Silatolu, a second-round pick in 2012, started in Norwell's spot against the Packers.
Silatolu believes the time he spent as a backup tackle this season helped him fire off the ball quicker and get into his pass sets quicker at guard.
Rivera: Thomas Davis finally getting his due
Panthers coach Ron Rivera has been banging the table for a couple of years to get outside linebacker Thomas Davis in the running for postseason accolades.
So Rivera was pumped this week to learn Davis is leading the Pro Bowl balloting at his position and is one of a dozen nominees for Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year.
“Now he’s starting to get the recognition and the notoriety, and he deserves it,” Rivera said Thursday. “Based on the way he’s played the last three seasons – coming back from a third knee (surgery) – it’s about time.”
Davis said he’s a fan of a lot of the other athletes on the list, including NBA MVP and former Charlotte Christian and Davidson standout Stephen Curry. Davis laughed when asked if American Pharoah should be considered a sportsman.
“The horse won the Triple Crown, what are you talking about?” Davis said.
Panthers cornerback Josh Norman, who owns several horses, was conflicted on whether he would pick his teammate over Pharoah.
“I love T.D., but that darn American Pharoah. Hey man, there ain’t been a horse like that in I don’t know how long,” Norman said, also mentioning Secretariat, Sea Biscuit and Man o’ War.
Norman had an idea on how Davis and Pharoah could race.
“I’ll give Thomas about half of the track (as a head-start) and then I’ll let Pharoah go and we’ll see who makes it there first,” Norman said, laughing. “That would be cool to watch.”
Oher: ‘I wasn’t their kind of guy’
Panthers left tackle Michael Oher had little to say this week about the one injury-plagued season he spent with Tennessee in 2014.
Oher, 29, ranked among the 10 worst tackles in the NFL last season with the Titans, according to Pro Football Focus. The former first-round pick by Baltimore allowed six sacks and 26 quarterback hurries in 11 games at right tackle before going on injured reserve with a toe injury that required surgery after the season.
The Titans cut him in February, one year into a four-year, $20 million contract. Oher said he’s not sure why it didn’t work out in Tennessee.
“I just wasn’t their kind of guy. I wasn’t the guy for the job, I guess,” he said. “It just doesn’t work out sometimes.”
Oher has been solid while starting every game at left tackle for the Panthers, especially in pass protection. Tight end Greg Olsen said Oher has brought an edge to the offensive line with his toughness and athleticism.
Titans interim coach Mike Mularkey, who was the tight ends coach when Oher was in Nashville, said he thinks Oher’s toe injury played a part in his struggles last season.
“I know he’s playing pretty well for them,” Mularkey said. “I know he was not healthy here all the time. I know his foot was constantly giving him problems, so maybe the healthy part of it has helped him play better this year.”
This story was originally published November 14, 2015 at 8:29 AM with the headline "NFL docks Panthers player for patriotic message on cleats."