Bush Gets Another Taste of Shoe Business

Reggie Bush might have some of the fanciest footwork in the NFL. But his shoes are plain as can be.

The former USC star will wear all-black, no-logo Adidas cleats Monday when his New Orleans Saints play the Dallas Cowboys in an exhibition game. The decision came after Bush was fined $10,000 by the league for wearing branded Adidas shoes last weekend against Tennessee. Those shoes had small gold logos on the toes and heels.

“Personally, I didn’t think it was a violation, but if that’s what the league wants we’ll stand by it,” said Mike Ornstein, who heads Bush’s marketing team. He said Bush has appealed the fine to the NFL Players Assn.

In keeping with the NFL’s sponsorship deals, players may wear footwear by Nike, Reebok or Under Armour without taping over the company logos. A player can wear another brand if he chooses, but he must either tape over the logo or wear a non-branded, solid-color shoe.

All the talk, Ornstein said, is much ado about a shoe.

“Whatever the guy does, it seems to be the front-page story,” he said. “Whatever the guy’s involved in turns into national news.”