Wait………
What……..
Listen, I understand when you draft someone with the #1 pick in the draft you are making a heavy investment. If that pick flames out it can cause a damaging effect on the franchise for years and that isn’t even considering the financial implications.
But what exactly is Jerry Richardson trying to say here?
Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson has asked No. 1 draft pick Cam Newton to stay clear of tattoos and piercings.
At their first meeting, Richardson asked the star quarterback whether he had either of those things. Newton responded, “no, sir.” Richardson said he’d like to keep it that way.
He told this to Charlie Rose of PBS during a recent interview. Rose said the owner sounded like Vince Lombardi.
“No, it just sound reasonable to me,” he replied.
If I give Richardson the benefit of the doubt, I would say that he is just trying to protect the “image” of Cameron, but if you look a little deeper you can see the problem with Richardson’s request.
Big black guy with tattoos and piercings isn’t what the old rich white owner wants to trot out to his majority white fanbase.
I have a problem with that. Who cares if Cam Newton has tats or not. He only needs to do two things. Complete passes and stay out of trouble.
That goes for any quarterback in the NFL, white, black or Avatar. Doesn’t matter if you have tats, don’t have tats, married, single, tall or short.
Does Ben Roethlisberger has tats?
Was tats the reason Cameron stole that laptop allegedly and cheated on those test allegedly. Cameron’s father is a Preacher and that didn’t stop the pay for play scam.
Does Jerry Richardson think we are all idiots and that if Cameron smiles with no tats, we wouldn’t be able to figure out if he is a bad person?
Superficial things don’t make the man, you are who you are no matter what is cover on the outside of your body, it is what is inside that counts.
Richardson by even suggesting this to Cameron, just lets you know while it is certainly isn’t any type of slave trade, owners do see the players at times as property and their “toys”. Cam Newton is not a piece a meat, to be told what he can do with his body. It also points out the good old boy club is in effect and the stereotypes about black quarterbacks is still clearly an issue even in 2011.
I am curious if Andrew Luck had come out and been the #1 pick would Richardson have made the same request?
I think you know the answer to that.