Cameron Heyward reaches agreement with NFL on eye black

Cameron Heyward was able to soften the blow of his fine for honoring his father through eye black.

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward was the subject of a relatively controversial fine by the NFL. Heyward was fined $5,787 for wearing eye black that clearly had “Iron” and “Head” written on both sides, which was done to honor his father. ESPN reports that he has since had his fine reduced after speaking with the league on the matter. Heyward has agreed to continue paying respect to his dad in other ways that won’t violate any league policy.

Having a conference call with the league greatly helped Heyward avoid a second fine. He was expected to receive another fine for sporting the same eye black in the Steelers’ win against the Arizona Cardinals. It would have increased to $11,576.

Heyward began a charitable partnership with EyeBlack.com to honor his father’s passing, and his eye black raises money for the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation. Although this eye black design violates the league’s uniform policy, Heyward insists that he had a civil discussion with the league on his eye black incident. He took to his Twitter account to make a statement.

Although Heyward will no longer label his eye black, his intentions are clearly meant to honor his deceased father. Heyward’s father, Ironhead, died in 2006 after losing a battle with cancer. Ironhead’s real name was Craig, and he had played the majority of his career with the New Orleans Saints before becoming a journeyman. Ironhead played as a fullback before passing away at age 40.