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          NFL Nation

          Chad Johnson wants his money back after NFL relaxes rule on custom cleats

          • Katherine Terrell, ESPN Staff WriterAug 15, 2017, 11:01 PM
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              Katherine Terrell came back to ESPN to cover the New Orleans Saints in the summer of 2022. She left the company in 2019 after joining in 2016 to cover the Cincinnati Bengals. Katherine is a graduate of LSU and a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native, and she has covered the NFL since 2013. You can follow Katherine on Twitter: @Kat_Terrell
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          CINCINNATI -- With the NFL preparing to relax its stance on custom cleats, former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson has a request.

          Can he get his money back?

          "Now they can wear customized cleats, can I get my fine money back from 2001-2012," Johnson tweeted Tuesday.

          According to a league memo obtained by ESPN, the league is preparing to allow greater flexibility for cleats worn during games.

          Johnson was fined $20,000 for wearing gold cleats and a gold mouthpiece against the Steelers in 2010, which came on the heels of a $25,000 fine for tweeting during a preseason game.

          Under the previous policy, players could be fined if they wore cleats that the team did not declare as the dominant footwear color. According to the memo, teams no longer have to declare that and players can wear black, white, or a secondary team color.

          That means the gold cleats would probably still be out and Johnson might be out of luck.