In fight for rights, he's got cleats on the ground

Rams’ Turner will be supporting immigrant rights foundation with his footwear Sunday.

- By ANTHONY SOLORZANO

The immigrant experience holds special meaning to Rams defensive end Kobie Turner — his grandfather immigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica and his wife’s parents immigrated from Peru. When choosing an organization to highlight in the NFL's “My Cause My Cleats” campaign, he wanted to show support not only for his family but all immigrants as well.

“There’s been a lot of hard times as of late, a lot of families that are not sure what comes next and I just want to uplift them,” he said. “Immigrants are so important to America; they are the backbone to this country.”

The NFL's “My Cause My Cleats” initiative started after Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall was fined for violating the league’s uniform policy when he wore cleats promoting Mental Health Awareness Week in October 2013.

After criticizing the NFL for failing to support players and their charitable causes, he met with league officials and two sides created a campaign that allowed players to wear custom-designed cleats that highlighted an organization they support. Since 2016 the “My Cause My Cleats” campaign has been a mainstay on the NFL calendar.