Jason Wolf

jwolf@tennessean.com

Titans linebacker Avery Williamson came out of the tunnel wearing his custom patriotic cleats for the season opener against the Vikings on Sunday, the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Williamson originally planned to wear the cleats to honor those who died, changed his mind when an NFL representative called to inform him about a looming fine for violating uniform code, and changed his mind once again Saturday night after The Tennessean's report about the situation went viral. Several of his teammates offered to help pay the fine if he wore the cleats, as did four New York and New Jersey police associations, including the union that represents the police department that patrols the World Trade Center complex.

“I just felt like I got so much support across the country, and especially when the New York and New Jersey police unions said that they would pay my fine, that really meant a lot," Williamson said after the Titans' 26-15 loss at Nissan Stadium, "so I felt like if I didn’t wear them, I just wouldn’t have felt good about it. I felt like I had to do that, just for myself and to represent the people that were lost and the people that do their jobs every day to protect us. I feel like it was just a duty.”

Titans general manager Jon Robinson patted Williamson on the chest during team warmups, when the linebacker was wearing plain white cleats, like his teammates.

Williamson said he wore the plain cleats to avoid NFL representatives approaching him before the game. He said Robinson and coach Mike Mularkey were supportive of his decision.

"I just didn’t want it to be a distraction, and they were fine with it," Williamson said, "so I went ahead and did it."

Williamson’s star-spangled blue cleats with red- and white-striped Nike swooshes were airbrushed by True Blue Customs in Lexington, Ky. They feature the words “Never Forget” and “9/11” on the back of the shoes, with the "11" representing the Twin Towers. The NFL mandates all teammates wear the same color scheme on their shoes.

Williamson is auctioning the cleats to benefit Operation Warrior Wishes, plus offering a meet and greet, two VIP tickets to a Titans home game and an autographed jersey.

“I’m going to try to get a couple of veterans to come to a game,” Williamson told The Tennessean on Friday. “I feel like just reaching out to people, helping them, somebody that’s served our country, I feel like that’s a great honor, so I wanted to do something nice for them. I feel like it’s a great cause.”

Early Saturday morning, Bobby Egbert, the public information officer for the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association, the union that represents the police officers of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, reached out to The Tennessean with a message for Williamson.

“On September 11, 2001, the PAPD lost 37 police officers at the World Trade Center, the largest, single loss ever suffered by a police department in the history of American law enforcement,” Egbert wrote. “We read, with understandable interest, your piece on Avery Williamson and the NFL's stance on Avery honoring the September 11th victims. We, along with the New Jersey State Police Benevolent Association, are offering to pay any reasonable fine levied by the NFL if Avery chooses to wear his 9/11 cleats.”

Later Saturday, two additional law enforcement associations joined in the pledge, the New Jersey State Troopers Non-Commissioned Officers Association and the State Troopers Fraternal Association of the New Jersey State Police.

Egbert reached out to The Tennessean again during Sunday's game to express that the police union was "thrilled with Avery's decision" and to offer Williamson a personal tour of the World Trade Center.

The NFL is notoriously strict about its uniform code.

In August, the league prohibited the Dallas Cowboys from wearing a helmet sticker honoring local police.

Last season, the NFL fined two Pittsburgh Steelers players $5,787 each for first-offense uniform violations — running back DeAngelo Williams for wearing "Find the Cure" in his eye black to promote breast cancer awareness and cornerback William Gay for wearing purple cleats to raise awareness about domestic violence.

New York Giants wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz also planned to wear patriotic cleats in Sunday's game against the Cowboys, as did Atlanta Falcons receiver Mohamed Sanu against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The NFL has not responded to a request for comment about whether these players received special permission or were simply willing to pay the fine.

All NFL players wore a league-approved helmet sticker to commemorate the anniversary of Sept. 11.

Williamson was raised in Milan, Tenn., about 110 miles west of Nashville, and drafted by the Titans out of Kentucky with a fifth-round pick in 2014.

Williamson said he realized how large a platform NFL players have when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick stirred controversy by refusing to stand for the national anthem, in what he described as an effort to protest police brutality and minorities being oppressed in the United States.

“I guess if he wants to stand up for something, he can, because everybody has a voice,” Williamson said. “If that’s the way he wants to express himself, that’s the way he’s doing it. It’s his decision. And I just wish him luck with it.

“It can be used for good or bad, either or, but you definitely have a bigger platform than you think.”

Williamson was coy about whether he'd allow those offering financial support to help pay any fine from the NFL.

“We’ll figure it out,” he laughed. “We’ll see what happens.”

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