Every now and then we get a story in pro sports where a player is fined or reprimanded in some way for something that is considered trivial by the public. In the NFL, this often happens when a player violates the league’s uniform policy. In the past, players were punished for wearing the wrong socks or cleats on the field. Minnesota Vikings Running back Alexander Mattison is getting a lot of attention for his gold chain mouthpiece, and surprisingly, the NFL hasn’t rained on his parade.
Not that Mattison is the first player to wear a gold chain on the field, as he also wears a necklace under his shoulder pads. But the chain tied around the mouth guard looks different. We know how sensitive the league can be about things like this, but Sunday night against Denver wasn’t the first time Mattison has rocked this mouthpiece.
Minnesota has the former Boise St. selected back in the third round of the 2019 draft. His first four years in the NFL were spent in a backup role behind former Pro Bowl rusher Dalvin Cook. When Cook was let goit was the opening Mattison had been waiting for since he was drafted.
While Mattison has yet to surpass 100 meters in a game, earlier this year he ran 93 and 95 meters respectively in rugby games. Regardless of his production, the chain hanging from his mouth during games never ceases to amaze and attract the attention of TV cameras around the stadium.
This could be something he cleared up with the league office a while ago, as he’s been shaking it up for the past few years (Deadpin has reached out to the NFL and will update with any response). Hopefully all the attention this custom mouthpiece has received doesn’t blow its place and put Mattison on the NFL uniform rules radar. The NFL seems to have a hard-on for players’ socks. The one from Miami Tyreek Hill was fined earlier this year for not wearing socks against Denver. At the time it was Clinton Portis and Sean Taylor fined for wearing the wrong socks during a match. It’s called the No Fun League for good reason.
