NFL bans players from wearing Beats by Dre headphones during interviews

Eric Edholm

If cameras are near, NFL players are being told what they can hear.

With the NFL striking a new deal with Bose, players and coaches are banned from wearing any other brand of headphones — including the insanely popular Beats by Dre — when conducting televised interviews under terms of Bose's agreement with the league, according to recode.net.

This applies to all TV interviews during training camps or practice sessions and on game day, from before the opening kickoff through the final whistle to postgame interviews conducted in the locker room or on the podium, up to 90 minutes after games have ended.

So players such as the Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson (wearing Beats By Dre above) could be subject to fine by the league. Players such as the Seahawks' Richard Sherman and the San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick, who have deals with Beats, are included in this.

The NFL sees no problem with this.

“The NFL has longstanding policies that prohibit branded exposure on-field or during interviews unless authorized by the league. These policies date back to the early 1990s and continue today,” an NFL spokesperson said in a statement. “They are the NFL’s policies — not one of the league’s sponsors, Bose in this case.  Bose is not involved in the enforcement of our policies. This is true for others on-field.”

Beats by Dre responded to the NFL's stance on the issue in the report.

“Over the last few years athletes have written Beats into their DNA as part of the pre-game ritual,” a Beats spokesperson said. “Music can have a significant positive effect on an athlete’s focus and mental preparedness and has become as important to performance as any other piece of equipment.”

All NFL headsets on sidelines during games are Bose-manufactured. Motorola, which had been the NFL's exclusive provider previously, was paying $40 million per year for its 13-year relationship. 

The World Cup this summer also banned Dre products in a similar fashion to the new NFL rules.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!