announcing corruption enterprise and other charges against fou

DENVER -- Players wearing calico cleats during NFL games this weekend wont have to worry about the leagues fashion police flagging them for fines over their choice of footwear.More than 500 players will lace up customized cleats reflecting their charitable causes during Week 13 as part of the leagues My Cleats, My Cause campaign. Afterward, the stylish shoes will be auctioned to raise money for those charities.One of the great NFL traditions is how our players passionately support important causes in their communities and around the globe every year, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. They are incredibly creative by nature so we are not surprised how they are seizing the opportunity this week with expressions of their charitable commitments on their cleats, online and through social media.This marks the first time players can wear custom cleats during the game without facing fines.Im excited, said the always fashionable Von Miller, who will wear black-and-white cleats flecked with letters from an optometrists eye chart to highlight Vons Vision, which provides eyeglasses to underprivileged youth.Especially in a cookie-cutter league, youve got to wear your uniform a certain way, your socks a certain way, your helmet, gloves, everything a certain way, said Miller, a star linebacker for the Denver Broncos. To have an opportunity to express yourself through your cleats is pretty dope.Miller, who sports a tattoo on his left arm honoring his longtime sponsor, Adidas, wears custom cleats every week that are designed by Los Angeles artist Kickasso . But he only wears them during warmups because NFL rules prohibit players from wearing shoes during games that are not black or white with a team color.Miller debuted the Kanye West-designed Adidas Yeezy cleats while stretching on the field before the season opener, and then switched to a different pair of shoes 90 minutes before kickoff, as required. Houston receiver DeAndre Hopkins wore his pair of Yeezys in the popular turtle dove color during a game and said he was fined $6,000 by the NFL. He said hed only wear them again if Kanye wants to pay the fine.Hopkins wont have to worry about that this weekend when hell wear custom cleats to raise awareness for domestic violence.Players are increasingly wearing custom-designed cleats before games to make a statement, fashion or otherwise.Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has worn Back to the Future cleats advertising hover boards among his many other creative designs. Washington wide receiver DeSean Jackson wore cleats in a game with a yellow caution tape design in violation of league rules.The king of the specialized shoes is Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, whose custom cleats have featured images of his kids, Muhammad Ali, Arnold Palmer and Jose Fernandez. Some have run afoul of the leagues rules, like the ones with his children, which he was told to take off at halftime.Browns cleats this weekend highlight Big Brothers, Big Sisters, and teammate Ben Roethlisberger is joining in on the footwear fun to raise awareness for police and fire departments with K-9 units and service dogs.Many players worked with Nike, Under Armour and Adidas to design the cleats theyll wear in games this weekend. Others used their own designers. The Giants and Texans worked with an independent customizer to design cleats for their players.Greg Olsens cleats will raise awareness for congenital heart defects by telling the story of his son, T.J., who survived a heart defect as a baby. Eric Berrys tell the story of his battle with cancer and are designed to help raise awareness for Hodgkins Lymphoma. David Johnsons cleats promote an anti-bullying initiative.I think its a great thing, Roethlisberger said. I think its an awesome opportunity for guys in the NFL to showcase a foundation, a cause, whatever it is. There are so many great causes out there people dont know much about. Obviously the league puts its stamp on one or two things but theres so many things out there guys want to be known and want to be made aware of a cause or opportunity or whatever and this is an awesome opportunity to do it.I hope the league will continue to do it.---AP Sports Writer Will Graves contributed to this report.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton Air Max 95 Australia Sale . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Air Max 95 Cheap Authentic . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. http://www.wholesaleairmax95australia.com/ . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. Wholesale Air Max 95 Australia . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. Air Max 95 Australia . PAUL, Minn. NEW YORK -- An internet bookmaking operation based in Costa Rica took in nearly $1 billion in illegal wagers on NFL games last season, New York City prosecutors said Thursday.Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson made the allegation while announcing corruption enterprise and other charges against four men from California and New York. A defense attorney called the case overblown.According to court papers, the ring took bets on pro football, college sports, soccer and other athletic events from thousands of gamblers using various websites since April 2015. They said bets on pro football last season totaled $927 million.The alleged ringleader, Gordon Mitchnick of La Verne, California, ran the operation out of a wiire room in San Jose, Costa Rica, prosecutors said.dddddddddddd He laundered some of the proceeds by buying 20 houses, they said.Another California defendant was a designated cash runner who once carried $50,000 in a briefcase through U.S. airports, prosecutors said. More piles of cash were recovered from the safe deposit box of a Manhattan defendant, they said.Mitchnick was still in custody Thursday afternoon after a judge set bail at $2 million. His attorney, Bruce Maffeo, accused prosecutors of exaggerating the allegations.This is a garden-variety gambling case on steroids, Maffeo said. ' ' '