NFL Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson acknowledged he advised QB Cam Newton prior to selecting him with the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft not to get any piercings or tattoos, and THE DAILY offers a roundup of reactions to Richardson's actions. In Charlotte, Scott Fowler wrote Richardson “likes that” Newton does not have any tattoos or piercings. Fowler: “OK, so what? If Newton gets a tattoo or comes back next offseason with both ears pierced, do you think Richardson is going to fire him? Of course not. Newton's performance will be graded on the field, as it should be. It's Richardson's right to like the ‘clean’ look. It is also Newton's right to do whatever he wants to with his body, as long as it's legal.” Fowler added, “I don't find Richardson's actions out of bounds here. He simply expressed an opinion to Newton, the same one that I will probably express to any of my four children the first time one of them asks to get some sort of tattoo or piercing” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 8/24). ESPN’s Mike Golic wondered, “Is it about marketing? Is it about the face of the franchise? What’s the meaning behind it, if there is more than just, ‘Hey, I like him as a clean-cut kid and I want him to stay that way?’" (“Mike & Mike in the Morning,” ESPN Radio, 8/25). ESPN’s Andrew Brandt said the NFLPA will be “up in arms if there’s ever any kind of discipline attached to that." It was “simply a request by the guy signing the paychecks saying, ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’” Brandt said Newton is "obviously going to be deferential to the guy who’s writing his checks, but you’re getting into a gray area here” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 8/25).
HE HAS A RIGHT TO ASK: Golf Channel’s Erik Kuselias: “I think it’s absolutely right. I mean, look: You are the face of the franchise when you’re the quarterback, and they give you $50 million, you get the keys to the car and your image represents that franchise and the community and then the league. Can you mandate and say, ‘You can’t get an earring or a tattoo?’ No. But I think you should be able to encourage when you have this kind of relationship, I think you should be able to encourage behavior that befits what you’re trying to do as a franchise” (“Morning Drive,” Golf Channel, 8/25). ESPN’s Skip Bayless said it is Richardson's "right as the owner of a very big business that is highly publicized” to ask Newton about tattoos and piercings. Richardson should “at least express his wishes to the young man who he wants to make the face of his franchise.” Bayless: “In Jerry Richardson’s social circles in the NFL and in Charlotte, his friends would admire Cam more with no tattoos or piercings. ... He’s representing this man’s business” (“First Take,” ESPN2, 8/25). SPORTING NEWS’ David Whitley writes Richardson “knows very few people are bothered when a player doesn't have a tattoo or body piercing,” but a “sizeable portion of his clientele has a negative view of such artistic expressions.” Whitley: “Newton and every other American has the right to turn their bodies into pin cushions. But companies have the right to project whatever image they choose. If you want to work there, you play by their rules” (SPORTING NEWS TODAY, 8/26). NFL.com's Adam Rank noted Panthers WR Steve Smith and TE Jeremy Shockey both have multiple tattoos, and the "hypocrisy from Richardson is bothersome." But the Panthers "are Richardson's team and he sets the rules." Rank: "Many employers have dress codes that prohibit visible tattoos, so Richardson is well within his rights" (NFL.com, 8/25).
CROSSING THE LINE: FOXSPORTS.com’s Mark Kriegel asked, “Who the hell is Jerry Richardson to tell Cam Newton not to get any tattoos?” Kriegel: “If the Yankees have their long-standing prohibition against facial hair, shouldn't Richardson be able to impose his grooming preferences as standards? Sure. Standards, yes. But not double standards. In other words, if you let Jeremy Shockey and Steve Smith have their tattoos, don't broach the subject with Newton” (FOXSPORTS.com, 8/25). The AP’s Jim Litke wrote, “Richardson should have known better than to wade across the generational minefield and tell top-draft pick and potential franchise savior Cam Newton to stay out of tattoo parlors and keep his hair short. The only thing Richardson accomplished by telling Newton how to look was to make himself look grumpy” (AP, 8/25). NFL.com's Steve Wyche: "If a team wants players to not adorn their bodies with ink or piercings, and wants to enforce that mandate, then they should pay players to adhere. That's how ridiculous this is" (NFL.com, 8/25). ESPN’s Rob Parker said Richardson's request is "way out of bounds." Parker: "He’s against these kinds of things, yet you go out and sign Jeremy Shockey whose body is covered in tattoos. ... Whether it is fair or not, it’s always that sense that black players feel like we always have to conform” (“First Take,” ESPN2, 8/25). Washington Post columnist Mike Wise: “Jerry Richardson wants to make sure his southern fan base has a palatable black man that actually doesn't look like A.I. the football player" ("Washington Post Live," Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, 8/25).
BETTER THAN THE ALTERNATIVE: SI.com’s Don Banks wrote he is thankful the Panthers did not draft QB Terrelle Pryor, as "tattoos are pretty much the reason Pryor was available for the supplemental draft to begin with” (SI.com, 8/25).
