Cam Heyward Says He Was Fined by NFL for Honoring Father on Eye Black

The NFL fined Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward for the eye black he wore in Week 5 to honor his father who died of cancer.

Heyward broke the news and provided a photo of himself in action in the team's 24-20 victory over the San Diego Chargers in Week 5:

"Ironhead" was the nickname Heyward's father, Craig, went by during his NFL playing days as a running back. Craig Heyward died in 2006 at age 39 after battling a recurring brain tumor for seven years.

Heyward continued to wear the eye black in Week 6, as shown by Shutdown Corner:

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Heyward "faces an $11,567 fine" for the second offense.

On Oct. 20, Hayward released a statement regarding his eye black:

Peter King of the MMQB was among those outraged at the league's decision to fine Heyward:

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. To promote the cause, the NFL permits players to wear certain pink accessories. It has also decorated balls and the bottom of goal posts with pink ribbon decals to show its support.

Heyward is attempting to raise awareness for a different kind of cancer, but the way he's doing it evidently isn't acceptable in the eyes of the league office.

Another player who's made recent headlines on the issue of cancer is Heyward's teammate, DeAngelo Williams. His mother, Sandra Hill, died from breast cancer in May 2014. When Williams requested to wear pink all year in her honor, the NFL denied him. He has instead pledged to pay for 53 mammograms, per ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler.

Although the fine won't harm Heyward's finances too much since he just signed a six-year, $59.25 million deal in July, it's the principle that's caused widespread displeasure. Cases such as Heyward's should at least encourage the NFL to consider a more lenient uniform policy in the future.