Maxx Crosby says NFL nearly made him leave game over footwear

Despite the immense struggles of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025, Maxx Crosby has been his usual dominant self. Per Next Gen Stats, Crosby leads all defensive linemen in stops, which is a tackle that results in a negative play for the offense, and he has 10 sacks this season. Unfortunately for Crosby, his Raiders were the subject of yet another lopsided loss in Week 15, losing 31-0 to the Philadelphia Eagles.

In that game, Crosby wore pink cleats dedicated to his daughter, Ella, which he said the NFL had a big problem with.

"The NFL was crying and forced me to take my shoes off," Crosby said on The Rush Podcast. "[I] represent my daughter out there, and it says Ella on the front of them. They're freaking cold. So I was like, 'I'm wearing them.' You know what I mean? Regardless of what they say, I'll take the fine, I don't care."

Crosby then says one of the equipment managers for the Raiders then told Crosby the league was threatening to pull Crosby out of the game if he didn't change his shoes.

"I noticed my guy Nico, one of our equipment guys, is on the sideline and he's literally holding the white cleats under his arm. I went up to Nico and I'm like, 'What, they're b*tching about it?' And he was like, 'Well, they're going to take you out of the game if you don't change your cleats.' I said, 'I'm finishing this drive.' I swear to God I said, 'I'm finishing this drive.' Then I got a sack on my last play in those cleats."

The NFL's strict dress code has been heavily criticized by players and media alike for quite sometime, and this won't help their cause.

The Raiders currently hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft behind the New York Giants. The Giants, Raiders, and Titans all have just two wins.

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