NFL Considering Ban on Long Hair

[ecra-joe]

thats kind of rediculous. who cares if they have long hair. then again they do get paid 6 figures to play a game so....take what you can get i guess. what if you were rastafarian (sp?) and you had to have long hair because of your religon?

 

[Braveheart]

I think this partially comes from Troy Polamalu's whining about getting tackled by his hair a couple of years ago when he got an INT. I remember seeing the play. He got caught by the hair and the guy who caught him literally threw him down by his hair. I know that hurt like a mo fo but it was and currently is legal to do that. Polamalu got up in the guy's face like he'd just been chop blocked or speared.

 

[Proxigean Tide]

I think the NFL should ban long hair. The league monitors every aspect of the uniform from shoe color to sock length to ensure uniformity of appearance. It makes no sense to do all this and then to allow a guy to have hair hanging 6-7 inches down his back.

Personally, I find it distracts from the game when one player appears different than all the others on the field. Avoiding this sort of distraction is why the NFL monitors and enforces uniform standards so tightly. I think allowing long hair diminishes the NFL product and I'll bet the league moves to include grooming standards in the rulebook.

 

[Littlewing]

Personally, I find it distracts from the game when one player appears different than all the others on the field. Avoiding this sort of distraction is why the NFL monitors and enforces uniform standards so tightly. I think allowing long hair diminishes the NFL product and I'll bet the league moves to include grooming standards in the rulebook.

So you feel the players are like dogs in a dog show? This has to be the most stupid rule change i've seen proposed in a long time. I think it's a smoke screen for the real problems like performance enhancers.

 

[BamaJama17]

 

[Tider@GW_Law]

Wow....just...wow. Maybe next they will go out and murder people after listening to their rap music? Or perhaps all of their tattoos will make them do drugs? Stereotype much?

This is a safety issue above all, though other concerns factor into it. Read the OP-linked story. So far we have:
1) Tackled by the hair (fairness issue: prevents being tackled by jersey around neckline)
2) Helmets popping off because of all the hair (causing delays in game)
3) Heat concerns due to increased insulation under helmet

 

[DzynKingRTR]

"And the sign said; Long haired freaky people need not apply"

 

[lafella]

as long as none of them break down outside a bar in Jackson Mississipp they should be ok.

If you know the risks involved and still choose to go that route why should anyone else step in . These are grown men.

 

[gmart74]

I do remember a couple games last yr where it seemed like the people with their helmets flying off all had long hair. I'm not sure if that is what is causing the helmet to come off, or they just wear them loose, or they copy the stupid Deion fashion of only buckling 3 straps. Either way I still like to see helmets flying off and it would be fun to see someone get tackled by their hair.

 

[crimsonaudio]

If you know the risks involved and still choose to go that route why should anyone else step in . These are grown men.

Amen. A little something called 'personal responsibility' - something sorely lacking nowadays...

 

[crimsonaudio]

His choice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVO93amUv7Y

 

[lafella]

and it would be fun to see someone get tackled by their hair.

Like this? lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVO93amUv7Y

 

[Tider@GW_Law]

Yes, it is a matter of personal responsibility, but it can also potentially affect the wallets of others - especially those paying their salaries. For instance, if I am the owner of the Steelers, and we had lost by a couple points in that game against the Chiefs. I could conceivably blame the loss on his hair, assuming they didn't convert on that drive, and what if that loss was the difference between making and not making the playoffs. "For want of a nail . . ."

Also, if he gets a chunk of scalp jerked out in the first half of a game and has to sit out the second half, as the owner who is losing the services of a player that I'm paying 7 figures for - I'd be pretty angry about his personal choice to keep his hair long. However, even if I am unhappy about it and feel it's losing me money, the players' union would no doubt interfere with any attempts I made at getting rid of him for that reason, and even if I could get rid of him, I then have to go find an equally talented guy, etc.

In sum, it is an issue of personal responsibility and all that, BUT as a professional football player you are signing a contract that means a whole lot of people's incomes are affected by you. I think those that are paying the millions should be able to make the reasonable demand that the hair at least remain tucked up under the helmet.

I actually think it's a tougher call as to whether to impose such a rule amongst the NCAA football ranks.

 

[crimsonaudio]

In sum, it is an issue of personal responsibility and all that, BUT as a professional football player you are signing a contract that means a whole lot of people's incomes are affected by you. I think those that are paying the millions should be able to make the reasonable demand that the hair at least remain tucked up under the helmet.

So, what do you think kills more people every year: long hair or motorcycles/automobiles? Few (if any) NFL players seem to have a problem with riding motorcycles or driving fast cars and I guarantee they are jeopardizing themselves to a much greater degree than playing with long hair.

I dunno, this simply smacks of "you should look presentable" to me, which I thought we had gotten past as a society. Sad.

 

[Kevin4Bama]

thats kind of rediculous. who cares if they have long hair. then again they do get paid 6 figures to play a game so....take what you can get i guess. what if you were rastafarian (sp?) and you had to have long hair because of your religon?

Actually it's at least 7 figures and sometimes 8 figures per year.

 

[BamaNation]

The League has rule, I believe, that tackling by grabbing the hair is legal, so wear your hair long at your own peril.
If I were a player in the league I would go out of my way to tackle a guy by his hair. It is just something else to grab onto.

Me too. This is a rule I would use to the fullest extent.

Besides how stupid it looks (note that I'm talking about for a football player in a uniform- not 'normal' citizens), why would you want to have that much hair when it's 110 degrees on a playing field? There has to be a degradation in performance issue here, too.

 

[BamaMoon]

We all bring our personal prejudice to a discussion like this and it clearly shows when we take our side (as mine will I'm sure ).

I think if a man wants to wear his hair long he has the freedom to do so. However, these players also have to accept that personal freedoms end when others have the authority to tell them what they can/can't do. For instance, if I work for a Fortune 500 company and they tell me that I have to wear a suit when making a presentation that is their call. It doesn't matter if I'd rather wear flip flops and shorts because my personal freedom is limited by the governing authority.

If the NFL chooses to enforce this because of safety or image concerns (regardless which one it is) the personal freedom for a player to wear his hair long during a game is lost.

 

[BamaBoy2012]

Does anyone not remember when Troy Polamalu was tackled by his hair in the superbowl vs. Seattle. He got up and wanted to fight the guy and he said it was wrong to do that. Me personally, I dont like long hair. I think it causes a problem with the helmets coming off. Plus this nations youth is watching this sport and seeing their heroes run around with hair longer than most girls. Yes I think they should ban it.

 

[Athens-LA-Tide]

I played in High School and was told by our coach "Cut your hair or your kicked off the team." Back then I thought it was wrong to make me cut my hair, BUT I did it anyways for the good of myself and the team. We were good and I wanted to be a part of it. Now looking back on it as a adult, I did the right thing cutting my hair, BUT I still think it was wrong to make me cut my hair. I still made the same tackles and catches without the hair as I did when I had the hair......

I had a pretty cool mullet too :biggrin:

RTR

 

[mikes12]

Back when I had long hair, I got a lot of scorn from balding guys.