The NFL has been around for over a century. Since then, the league has put up a set of rules and regulations which have also evolved over time.

While the NFL has been around long enough, fashion has also found its way into sports. As time passed by, player gears and equipment have also started to evolve performance and aesthetic-wise.

Although a lot of sporting accessories have now become fashionable, not all of them are allowed by the NFL. In fact, some of the more popular cleats, shorts, socks, and other accessories have been banned by the NFL. Let's take a closer look at eight banned NFL items.

8. Yeezy Cleats

Designed by Kanye West and a collaboration with Adidas, Yeezy sneakers took over the fashion industry by storm. Because of this, it wasn't a surprise that it made its way to football.

Von Miller became the first NFL player to wear the Yeezy Cleats and flaunted it during a warm-up before the Broncos' clash with the Carolina Panthers. Shortly after, DeAndre Hopkins followed suit and decided to wear the sneakers in the matchup against the Chicago Bears.

Although Miller escaped fines, Hopkins didn't for wearing it in an actual game. The wide receiver was fined $6,000 by the league as the sneakers didn't abide by the league's uniform policy.

Specifically, the Yeezy Cleats didn't have a solid base color. After getting the fine, Hopkins announced he'd continue to wear the sneakers only if West would pay for the fines.

7. Cleats that don't match team uniforms

In relation to the uniform policy, the NFL has been strict regarding shoe colors that should match your team colors. There have been several players who were penalized for breaking the uniform policy.

This includes Chad Ochocinco who was fined a hefty $20,000 for wearing golden cleats. The then Vikings Wide Receiver, Bernard Berrian, was also fined for wearing yellow cleats and had to pay $5,000.

With a strict uniform policy, Odell Beckham Jr. has been on the brunt end of the rule. He once wore customized cleats that gave a nod to the Joker. During halftime, Beckham was told to change or he wouldn't be allowed to re-enter the game.

In a separate occasion, Beckham wore cleats dedicated to the late analyst Craig Sager. The wide receiver was fined $18,000 by the league. This became one of the NFL banned items.

6. Short pants

Speaking of OBJ, he found himself in hot water against the uniform policy on another occasion when he wore short pants. According to the NFL's uniform policy, a player must wear pants that cover the knee area. In a game against the Seahawks, OBJ violated the said rule and was fined a hefty $14,037.

Aside from OBJ, Houston Texan Jerry Hughes was also caught violating the rule. He had to pay a much cheaper $5,305.

5. Hard objects (including Odell Beckham Jr.'s watch)

Aside from banned shoes and socks, OBJ also sported a very expensive Richard Mille watch. The watch had a retail market value of at least $250,000.

The league claimed that no rule prohibits players from wearing jewelry on the field. However, there is a policy regarding barring hard objects. As a result, the league informed the football star to no longer wear the watch during games because it's one of the NFL banned items.

Despite the ban, OBJ wore a more expensive Richard Mille watch that sold for at least $2 million. Fortunately, he only wore it during warm-ups, which didn't lead to another potential penalty.

4. Socks that aren't high enough

Aside from pants failing to cover the knee area, the NFL also frowns on short socks. While still playing for the San Fransisco 49ers, during the NFC Championship victory over the Falcons, Frank Gore reportedly violated the uniform policy. The league handed down a hefty $10,500 fine for sporting socks that were too low.

In 2020, another player suffered a similar fate. Juju Smith-Schuster, who was still playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was slapped with a $5,000 fine for failing to pull his socks up all the way to his knees. Smith-Schuster's teammate, James Conner, was also handed down the same penalty for also not abiding the league's uniform policy.

3. Custom face masks

In 2014, the NFL banned the use of nonstandard face masks. After a study made by the University of New Hampshire, the structuring of nonstandard face masks can bring about more negative effects regarding safety.

Fortunately, the NFL has allowed medical exemptions to a few players. These have included the likes of Justin Tuck and Chris Canty.

2. Dark-tinted helmet visors and the ones with designs

Dark-tinted visors are banned in the NFL. Again, OBJ sparked another uniform controversy back in 2019 when he wore one. For wearing one, OBJ was forced to change before entering the contest.

The NFL only allows exemptions if there is a medical permit. Another is if the visor was made by Oakley, given that the NFL has a running partnership with the brand. However, the league does encourage players to wear Oakley's clear visors.

Given that it was only worn during warm-ups, Cleveland Browns Myles Garrett garnered attention for wearing Helmet Visors with designs of Dragon Ball Z and Stranger Things. Since he didn't wear it in an official game, no fines were handed out.

1. Bandanas

While previous rules still allowed players to wear solid-colored bandanas matching team uniforms back then, the NFL owners decided to ban the accessory altogether in 2001. This prohibited players wearing headbands, bandanas, or do-rags underneath their helmets. In recent memory, New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis was fined $7,017 for sporting a headband underneath his helmet.