Jerry Richardson wants Cam Newton's tattoo and piercing-less appearance to stay that way.
/ photo-gator (flickr)
Most Carolina Panthers football fans are well aware of Cam Newton's undergrad shenanigans, but that's not stopping owner Jerry Richardson from keeping his player's outward appearance looking squeaky clean.
"I said, 'Do you have any tattoos?'" Richardson said in an interview on "
The Charlie Rose Show." "He said, 'No, sir. I don't have any.' I said, 'Do you have any piercings?' He said, ‘No, sir. I don't have any.' I said, 'We want to keep it that way.'
While an
ESPN contributor notes the 75-year-old owner is famous for "saying things that make people go "hmmm" and shouldn't be taken seriously, others say Richardson's agenda is purely inappropriate.
"None of those 'body accessories' can make Newton's play at quarterback any better or any worse and they won't make the fan base plummet or skyrocket," wrote a columnist for The Times and Democrat. "Newton's a grown man and he shouldn't be told what he can and can't do with his body 'because he's the face of the franchise.'"
Newton's public image took a hit last fall following pay-for-play allegations involving his father Cecil, also a football star. But despite these setbacks, Newton seems fine with his image and told Peter King of Sports Illustrated that, "I see myself not only as a football player, but an entertainer and icon."
What do you think, does Richardson have the right to protect his team's image by asking Newton to stay away from tattoos and piercings, or is he out of his league for this comment?
Read more: The Huffington Post
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