SAN DIEGO — Willie Buchanon will be on the field at Super Bowl LVI, clipboard in hand, ready to give players a dressing down — or up — if needed.
He'll be one of two official NFL uniform inspectors patrolling SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, hired to make sure players' shirts are tucked in, socks pulled up, team colors displayed, gold necklaces hidden from view and personal messages aren't etched into black under-eye paint or mouth guards.
He also will be on the lookout for unapproved cleats, laces of the wrong color and anything, including headphones and knee braces, that might display a logo or brand name that the NFL hasn't officially sanctioned.
The NFL defensive 1972 Rookie of the Year and two-time Pro Bowl player, seventh in the first-round NFL draft pick in 1972, has been a pro-football fashion enforcer for 22 years.
There were 32 uniform inspectors nationwide, one assigned to each team's stadium, until the NFL doubled the number about three years ago. Now each team has an inspector during every game.
Most, like Buchanon, a Green Bay Packer cornerback before joining the Chargers in 1979, are former NFL players. They can spy a violation a football field away.
Buchanon became an NFL dress code enforcer for Chargers home games in 2000 — 18 years after he retired from the gridiron.
He chuckles when asked how Chargers players refer to him today: "jock cop."
This is one of the lesser-known NFL jobs — and it's one that Buchanon loves. He arrives at the stadium, binoculars, checklist, clipboard and smart phone in hand three hours before kickoff.
He gets to be on the field and, when he isn't, he has a stellar view from the NFL stadium box. From there, he can spy violations and text photos and comments to his NFL designee on the sidelines, informing them of something that needs changing.
"I'm able to stay in touch with the NFL players," says Buchanon, 71, who has no desire to retire. "They'll have to wheel me out in a wheelchair."
In non-NFL life Buchanon, who lives in Oceanside, where he was born, is a church elder and administrator and a real estate agent. He'll share the Super Bowl turf on Feb. 13 with Brett Miller. Buchanon is assigned to inspect the L.A. Rams while Miller, who played for the Chargers in 1989, is eyeing the Cincinnati Bengals.
This won't be Buchanon's first Super Bowl — that was the 2003 Tampa Bay/Oakland Raiders contest played here. In 2013, he was flown to Hawaii to enforce the Pro Bowl codes, a prize for snagging recognition as NFL's uniform inspector of the year.
If violations are spied during warm-up, the inspectors have a chance to warn out-of-compliance players. Buchanon has traditionally carried tape and black Sharpies to camouflage renegade logos on cleats or other equipment on the spot. He tells players his goal is to try to keep their name "off" the list.
He and the elite troop of inspectors give verbal warnings and report potential infractions to the team's equipment manager or other NFL designee.
"My job is to report the infractions I see, not fine the players. The NFL decides if it wants to fine them or not," stresses Buchanon, who checks to see if a pre-game uniform violation has been corrected when a player returns for the game. "If they don't make the changes, I write them up."
The NFL handbook for regular season games shows that uniform violations, such as those involving socks, jerseys, undergarments, etc., are punishable by a $5,150 fine on first occurrence and jump to $15,450 for a second offense during a subsequent game. Displaying unauthorized logos or brands can result in a $10,300 fine that can jump to $20,300 for a repeat violation. The fines can rise even higher during a Super Bowl game.
Personal messages, likewise, are frowned upon. In 2008, there were published reports of Pittsburgh Steeler Ryan Clark disclosing a $5,000 fine by the NFL for having scratched "21" in his eye black to honor the jersey number of his late Redskins teammate Sean Taylor.
In 2019, Saints linebacker Demario Davis was penalized $7,017 for wearing a headband imprinted with the words: "Man of God." Davis turned the incident into a fundraiser by selling similarly branded headbands for charity. He later announced the NFL reversed his fine on appeal.
More recently, New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara was fined $5,000 by the NFL for wearing red and green cleats during a game Christmas Day. He scored six rushing touchdowns that day and dispatched his game-used jersey, a football and red and green cleats to the Hall of Fame — accompanied by his NFL fine notice. In 2017, Kamara had to pay a similar fine for adding jingle bells to his cleats during a Christmas Eve game.
The on-field conduct and uniform codes are determined through collective bargaining between the NFL and the NFL Players Association. Team members have a right to appeal an alleged infraction, which usually is documented on film or in photos.
The money paid in fines doesn't go to the NFL but to various programs that benefit former players. Since 2011, the NFL reports that about $4 million a year has gone to assist retired players.
Not all uniform irregularities spotted by game viewers are violations, though. The league grants exceptions. For instance, it allows players to display non-team colors on behalf of a charitable cause — such as pink for breast cancer awareness — or a message on their cleats during specific games each year. Plus, some players are granted NFL approval to wear normally banned accessories, especially if it is medically necessary.
As for Buchanon's own uniform, he has a white NFL shirt and dark pants but he isn't required to wear them. He usually prefers to wear a suit.
