Fire Cam Newton's Tattoo Ban

Good thing Newton didn't go to OSU.

When it comes to the potential face of his franchise, Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson has made it clear that he wants QB Cam Newton to remain clean cut and tattoo/piercing free. This isn't unreasonable on its face, but it's unfair because it's an uneven policy that should either apply to the entire team or no one.

Newton said he doesn't have any tattoos or piercings and Richardson can't actually do anything to Newton should that change. The problem is, Richardson has signed plenty of guys (like TE Jeremy Shockey) who have multiple body modifications.

There's nothing wrong with an employer dictating employee appearance, but the same standard should apply to everyone. George Steinbrenner did many stupid things when he owned the Yankees but requiring his players to be clean-cut wasn't one of them. Sure he compromised with certain players, like when he made former 1B Jason Giambi cover up his tats or when he made former P Randy Johnson get a slight haircut, but the standard applied to everyone. Richardson is not wrong to want Newton to convey a certain image, but he is wrong not to demand the same thing of his whole team.