Myles Garrett gets NFL warning ahead of injury update

The NFL thought about fining Rams defensive end Myles Garrett for wearing a Jordan tracksuit on the sideline Monday night. It warned him and the team instead, according to The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones, who reported it Saturday.

The violation landed ahead of insight on Monday over whether Garrett may be ready for practice after rehabbing his knee.

Players are supposed to wear team-issued gear

Garrett is on injured reserve after knee surgery and stood on the sideline for the first time this season in Monday’s 37-34 overtime loss to Buffalo.

Earlier home games, he watched from a box, per the Rams’ Sunday notebook on SI. The outfit wasn’t team-branded. Jones said the Rams “heard from the league office about it,” but no fine followed.

The rulebook does provide for penalties. A first offense for unauthorized logo or branding is $11,941, and a uniform violation is $5,971. For a player who has earned more than $180 million in his career, that’s pocket change, which makes the warning less about money and more about how the league is handling discipline right now.

This fits a new approach to fines

Jones described it as “warn first, fine later.”

The league recently relaxed its celebration rules and said players would be warned before being fined for gray-area violations. Fines against 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk and Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson over celebrations that mimicked drinking a beverage were rescinded.

The league also clarified that those gestures won’t draw discipline anymore, while keeping limits on celebrations involving smoking, drugs, violence or sexual conduct.

So Garrett’s case is small, but it’s consistent. The league is trying to look less eager to fine players for minor things. Whether that holds when a repeat offender shows up is another matter.