The fashion police are watching: the NFL keeps a close eye on what players wear. Individuality is bad, uniformity is good

Sporting News, The, Nov 24, 2003 by Willard Harrell

The official title for my job is uniform inspector, but the players call it "fashion police" and other names that aren't so complimentary. They see me and say, "Here he comes." Sometimes, they'll strike a pose--hold out their hands or spread their legs, like I'm going to frisk them.

There are 32 of us, one for each NFL team, and our job is to make sure the players adhere to the league's dress code. I inspect both teams at Rams home games.

You'd be surprised what guys try to get away with. They want to stand out, have their own identity, their own look. At the St. Louis-Baltimore game in Week 10, one of the Ravens players was wearing a University of Miami wristband around his biceps. That's a no-no.

Joe Horn, the Saints receiver, came out one time with one arm covered by a long sleeve and the other arm bare. It was obvious he was trying to personalize his look. His plea was: "I've been doing this all year, so what's the problem?"

That's mostly what you hear. "I've been doing this since I came into the league." Or guys will say, "You might as well have robots play the game. You want us all to look alike? Then don't put numbers on our backs."

It can get pretty intense. You really have to pick your spots when you confront a player. If you catch a guy at the wrong time, he may tell you, "Get out of my face," using terms that aren't quite so friendly.

It's the skill position players--the DBs, wide receivers and running backs--I have to watch closest. The big guys, the linemen, I hardly ever have a problem with them.

Two of the most common violations involve socks and jerseys. Players are issued a two-piece sock. One part is white, and the other part is the team color like blue for the Rams. If a player has only the white or only the blue showing, that's a violation. Some players alter their jerseys. They don't like to tuck them in, so they'll cut them real short. That's another violation. Others like to personalize their shoes by putting messages on them. Or they'll put tape on their wrists and write their kids' names or "I love you." All violations.

Once you hit that stadium, the cameras are rolling and you belong to the league. A player is subject to a violation as soon as he steps on the field to warm up. Fines range from $5,000 to $25,000. Wearing a college hat on the field is an example of a $25,000 violation.

Reebok is the official NFL apparel. It pays the league a lot of money to display its logo, so if you're showing any logo besides Reebok, you're getting blasted.

During pregame warmups, I'm down on the field with my clipboard and checklist. I don't go out there trying to be a hard guy. If I see someone who is in violation, I'll go up to him and suggest that he get it corrected before he comes back out for the game. I'll say, "Look, I'm here trying to save you money. Is it worth $5,000 to have your socks that high, or have your jersey hanging out?" They seem to appreciate that approach.

I'm still on the field when the teams come back out for the start of the game. If I see the corrections have been made, I'll head back upstairs to the press box and keep an eye on things from there with my binoculars.

Just before halftime, I'll come back down on the field and give each team's designee a report so his players can go in at halftime and fix what's wrong. When they come back out for the second half, I'm there checking to see if the violations have been corrected. Just because a guy doesn't have anything wrong at the start of the game doesn't mean he won't do something later.

The bottom line is I don't want to fine them. I give them ample time to make corrections. I use my discretion. If it's a first-time violator, I'll give him the maximum amount of time to fix it. But if I see a guy who's a consistent violator--we've been over this before and he's just not getting the point--well, maybe $5,000 coming out of his wallet will get his attention.

After the game, I have to go to both locker rooms while players are being interviewed. If the cameras are rolling and a player is wearing a Nike hat, he's in violation. There's no way I can protect him then; I have to write him up.

I played 10 seasons in the NFL, but a lot of these guys don't even know my name. They just know me as the uniform guy.

Willard Harrell was a running back and kick returner for the Green Bay Packers and St. Louis Cardinals from 1975-84. He lives in St. Louis, where he owns an insurance agency.

CAN YOU SPOT THE TICKETABLE OFFENSES?

1. Wearing a cap with a college logo

2. Jersey is cut so short it can't be tucked in

3. Wristband displays a personal message

4. Shoes have an apparel logo other than Reebok

5. One arm is covered by a long sleeve and the other arm is bare

6. White part of the sock is obscuring the colored part