AP

The NFL will not fine players for wearing red, white and blue on 9/11.

That commonsense decision came down today, a day after Bears linebacker Lance Briggs said he would wear red, white and blue gloves and shoes and was expecting a fine from the NFL, which strictly controls what players can wear on game days.

The league office informed all 32 teams today that players are allowed to wear special shoes and gloves to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, as long as those special shoes and gloves are made by companies that have sponsorship deals with the NFL. The NFL is usually strict about allowing players to wear anything other than the standard team-issued apparel, although the league has made exceptions in the past, such as allowing players to wear pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

It obviously would have been a public relations disaster for the NFL to fine players for expressing their patriotism on 9/11, although it wouldn’t be out of character for the NFL, which demanded that Jake Plummer remove his helmet decal honoring Pat Tillman in 2004. The NFL made the right call this time.