The NFL has finalized a deal with BOSE that will now restrict players from wearing Beats By Dre headphones during league broadcasts and interviews. The ban also includes training camp interviews and practice sessions on game day. If players violate the restrictions, they will be subject to a fine from the league. Players will also be barred from appearing on-camera with Beats headphones during postgame interviews up to 90 minutes after the end of each game. The NFL released a statement saying,
“The NFL has longstanding policies that prohibit branded exposure on-field or during interviews unless authorized by the league. These policies date back to the early 1990s and continue today. They are the NFL’s policies — not one of the league’s sponsors, Bose in this case. Bose is not involved in the enforcement of our policies. This is true for others on-field.”
According to Fox Sports, in August, the league announced the deal to have Bose replace Motorola as the official outfitter of coaches’ headsets on sidelines throughout the league. Previously, Motorola was paying a reported $40 million annually for those rights, and Bose is thought to be forking over even more, with the Boston Globe reporting that the NFL had turned down Motorola’s offer to increase its annual fee to $50 million.
Many NFL players have been seen rocking Beats including superstars from like Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman from the defending NFL champions, The Seattle Seahawks. Sherman and San Francisco 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick also have endorsement deals with Beats. Beats released the statement regarding the restrictions stating,
“Over the last few years athletes have written Beats into their DNA as part of the pre-game ritual. Music can have a significant positive effect on an athlete’s focus and mental preparedness and has become as important to performance as any other piece of equipment.”
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