It's decision time for Earl Bennett, who is facing a crisis of the heart with the Bears' matchup against the San Diego Chargers looming.
What does he love more? His shoes or his paycheck?
Two weeks ago, Bennett was fined $5,000 for wearing orange cleats against the Philadelphia Eagles. This week, the fine was doubled to $10,000 when he donned the same colorful footwear against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Bennett told ESPN 1000 on Tuesday that the fines will continue to increase for future infractions, beginning with $15,000 this Sunday against San Diego, then $20,000 the next week. After that, he said, could come a delay of game or possible ejection.
Bennett's cleats have created a buzz in Chicago, even earning their own Twitter handle.
“It’s crazy, actually,” he said, according to CBSChicago.com. “D.J. (Moore) -– he’s the one who saw it and, you know, retweeted it, and now everybody wants me to change my name to Agent Orange, and I mean, it’s just crazy.”
Indeed. Bennett is an admitted "sneakerhead" -- he said he has 230 or 240 pairs of shoes in his closet.
“My closet’s a mess right now, though," he said. "My wife won’t even clean it up for me."
These are domestic squabbles that matter little to the league, which only allows its players to choose between black and white footwear. Why won't they let Agent Orange shine?