<
        >

          NFL players show off 'My Cause, My Cleats' shoes

          play
          Jimmy V's inspiring ESPYS speech (10:23)

          Jim Valvano delivers his famous "Don't ever give up" speech at the 1993 ESPYS. (10:23)

          • Jeremy Willis, ESPN.comDec 6, 2020, 11:39 AM ET

          Time to step up the footwear fashion in the NFL. The league's "My Cause, My Cleats" initiative returns this week.

          Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward will help fight cancer with his cleats spotlighting the V Foundation.

          "As the people running the foundation want to make Jimmy V proud, I want the same on behalf of my dad who also suffered from cancer," Heyward said in a statement. "It is a true honor to wear these cleats in honor of the V Foundation and my dad."

          On one of Heyward's cleats is a tribute to his father, Craig Heyward, who died in 2006, and on the other is one to Jim Valvano, who died in 1993 and whose battle with cancer inspired the V Foundation. The foundation was co-founded by ESPN.

          Here's a look at some of the other specialized cleats the players will wear and the causes for which they're campaigning.