Saints Linebacker Demario Davis Fined $7K For “Man Of God” Headband

Here's the video of the pre-game speech that called to attention Davis' proud Christian headband, for reference:

Davis spoke out about the fine, posting an up-close picture of the "Man of God" headband that cost him $7K in penalties after the NFL claimed it violated their policy against "personal messages."

Here's his Instagram post on this:

In Week 4, Davis did not wear the headband again, but he did wear a headband with a cross on it.

Despite being fined for the Christian headband, Davis is taking the high road.

Speaking on his Christian faith and the pride he has in it, Davis said,

“‘Man of God’ is written on my forehead whether I wear the bandana or not. You’re going to see God’s mark on my life. The life we are meant to live in Christ will speak for itself; it will stand out.”

Here's an excerpt from Demario Davis' article he wrote on the for The Increase following the fine on his Christian faith:

It’s important not to pick and choose what parts of the Bible we want to follow. The Bible tells us to be submissive to what your authorities are asking you to do. Unless the authorities above us are asking you to do something that’s not of God, then you need to follow that rule, whether or not you agree with it yourself. The league has a uniform code; it wouldn’t be reflective of Christ for me to go against that rule. If I’m trying to glorify God through my apparel, but in the meantime, I’m being disobedient to the league, that’s not what I want to do. I want to stay in the guidelines of the league.

But I am glad that the conversation was started. Anytime people bring God into the conversation is a win. God can get glory from any and every situation. God doesn’t need a headband to get the glory. “Man of God” is written on my forehead whether I wear the bandana or not. You’re going to see God’s mark on my life. The life we are meant to live in Christ will speak for itself; it will stand out.

Local news source KHOU said the following about the fine Davis faced:

A key defensive starter for the Saints says he was fined $7,000 for wearing a headband with the phrase "Man of God" on it during the team's Week 3 match up. 

According to this post on his Instagram page, linebacker Demario Davis was fined for wearing the personalized headband in New Orleans' big 33-27 win against the Seattle Seahawks last week. 

"Should I continue to wear it, or nah?" the 30-year-old Davis wrote with the post. 

NOLA added:

When New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis donned a gold headband with the words "Man of God" written over his forehead against the Seattle Seahawks, he didn't realize that was a fine-worthy article of clothing. 

So after he received the $7,017 fine from the NFL on Saturday, he took to Instagram to post about the sanction. 

"So, I got fined $7K for my headband," he wrote. "Should I continue to wear it, or nah?" 

The league fines players and coaches for several things, including uniform violations. According to the league's fine schedule, "personal messages" on uniforms are subject to fines. The minimum fine for a first offense is $7,017, while a the minimum fine for a second offense is $14,037.

Davis didn't end up wearing the headband against the Dallas Cowboys, despite the hundreds of comments on his post telling him to. 

Davis told The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate that he did not expect the impending reaction.

                                    

That Instagram post received nearly 10,000 likes and more than 2,600 comments. For comparison, most of his photos as of late receive between 100 and 400 comments. 

"I don't think a lot of people were aware of the policy that was in place — I wasn't even fully aware of it," Davis said Wednesday. "I just wanted to put it out and just kind of help fans who care about the game understand a more intricate part of the game."