Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner (left) and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster will probably wear their socks differently as the season progresses. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

NFL socks it to JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner with surprising fines

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated 11/3/20

The NFL is known for being strict with seemingly trivial uniform violations, but the fines that were handed out to Pittsburgh Steelers stars JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner on Tuesday left many people scratching their heads.

Smith-Schuster revealed on Instagram that he and Conner have been fined $5,000 for the way they wore their socks during Sunday’s win over the Baltimore Ravens. The star receiver shared a photo of the fine letter and circled the portion that said, “Specifically, your stockings failed to cover your lower leg.”

JuJu and James Conner fined $5,000 for sock violations #Steelers pic.twitter.com/HV7cWPI4pS

— Steelers Depot (@Steelersdepot) November 3, 2020

The NFL rulebook states that a player’s socks “must cover the entire area from the shoe to the bottom of the pants, and must meet the pants below the knee.” Smith-Schuster and Conner either ignored that rule, were unaware of it, or forgot, and it cost them each $5,000.

If you think that sounds crazy, just remember the NFL has basically threatened to kick players out of games over their cleats in the past. This is really nothing new, although that doesn’t make it any less humorous.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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