The NFL is encouraging the players to wear footwear with designs from their favorite charitable cause, but one player might incite controversy because his design will bear an image of communist figure and guerrilla leader Che Guevara.

The initiative for Week 14 of the NFL season is called "My Cause My Cleats."

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Quinton Jefferson chose to have his design created by young people in the "Creative Justice" rehabilitation program.

His featured cause is "restorative justice," which involves addressing and correcting the harm caused by criminal acts.

"I was just thinking of ways to involve that with my cause," he explained to the News Tribune. "I got in touch with the people at Creative Justice. I like the stuff that they are doing there with the kids, taking kids who are incarcerated and just giving them an outlet through art to express themselves and help them get on the right track, you know?"

The shoes will bear images of people Jefferson called "freedom fighters," including Communist murderer Che Guevara, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, black activist Malcolm X, and civil rights leader Rosa Parks.

Che Guevara is often used as an icon of revolutionary ideals but critics say that his supporters hypocritically ignore his racist and homophobic comments, and the extrajudicial murders he encouraged and committed as part of the Cuban communist revolution.



Some of the other causes highlighted by players include the National Women's Law Center, the Alzheimer's Association, the Wild Utah Project, and the Special Olympics.

The Seattle Seahawks will play the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

Here's more about the Seahawks players' causes: