http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2194835
'Arkansas State's leading returning scorer is sitting out because he refuses to wear adidas shoes, which Indians players are obligated to wear because of a school contract.
Jerry Nichols, a 6-6 outside shooter who averaged 9.6 points per game last year, has had two knee operations and said he was wearing Adidas shoes when he first hurt the knee. The school says Nichols has to dress by its rules.
"We have a contractual agreement with [adidas], and it's not any different than any number of other contracts with other schools. There is not any stipulation or any research that shows any shoes are worse than any others," Arkansas State athletic director Dean Lee told The Jonesboro Sun newspaper.'
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This is absolutely ridiculous. Let the kid suit up in some non-descript shoes. I tore my ACL, and while it had nothing to do with the shoes, if he's not comfortable wearing the brand he injured himself in, forcing him to wear them is stupid.
If they had handled it right, no one would have noticed or cared. And if anyone asked, he could have said he was wearing special shoes, with an insert or something, for medical reasons.
TM
ETA: And players get in trouble if they take a free meal from a booster. What a load of bullshit.
