Sunday mornings in the NFL offseason are a time for relaxation and reflection. At PFT, it’s an opportunity for us to catch up on some of the stuff we missed during the week that was.
One item that caught our eye comes courtesy of Adam Schefter of NFL Network, via others like our own MDS of AOL’s FanHouse.
Per Schefter, the Kansas City Chiefs have proposed a rule that would prevent players from wearing hair so long that it covers the name on the top of their jerseys. The rule would apply to guys like Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, Jags cornerback Rashean Mathis, Packers cornerback Al Harris, Saints cornerback Mike McKenzie, and any other guy who aspires to grow their locks long enough to be utilized as an alternative to Charmin in the event the person in the next stall can’t spare a square.
But here’s the problem. The Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association essentially prevents the passage of such a rule without the consent of the union.
Article VII, Section 2 states: “Clubs may make and enforce reasonable rules governing players’ appearance on the field and in public places while representing the Clubs; provided, however, that no player will be disciplined because of hair length or facial hair.”
Though the CBA doesn’t specifically prevent the teams from passing a rule regarding hair length, the rule would have no teeth because the teams could do nothing to enforce it.
And good luck getting this portion of the CBA changed. In the currently expanding climate of non-cooperation between the league and the union, the NFL would have to give something up in order to get the ability to implement a rule regarding hair length. Our guess is that the union would want more than what the league would be willing to give.
Besides, we envision no agreements of any kind being reached between the NFL and the NFLPA unless and until there’s a new CBA, which addresses the far more pressing issue of the split of the pot of billions of dollars between the players and the owners.
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March 23rd, 2008 at 11:27 am
It seems to me that a loophole here would be that the league could say that we don’t care how long it is, you just have to fit it under your helmet.
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March 23rd, 2008 at 11:31 am
Depends on if the word “wear” is implied to mean cut,or simply keep out of the way of the jersey.They wear it so they can see, with poneytails etc..Wear it so the fan can see who it is…Maybe a uniform rule that overides any hair length problem.Although usually one knows who it is by the hair if its long anyway, as there are so few players with hair that long.
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March 23rd, 2008 at 11:36 am
Getting yanked by that long hair tends to take care of this problem. Although, the League in its caring wisdom is proposing this rule not for safety reasons but so everyone can see the name on the jersey.
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March 23rd, 2008 at 11:52 am
Are extensions (think Al Harris and Mike McKenzie) considered “hair” for CBA purposes?
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March 23rd, 2008 at 12:02 pm
This is just plain stupid. The No Fun League is taking it to a new extreme.
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March 23rd, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I like the rule the NFL doesn’t need dirty hippies running around. long hair is for sissy sports like soccer.
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March 24th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Couldn’t a team forbid long hair being worn outside the helmet/jersey on the account of it putting the player at a competitive disadvantage? On at least one occasion, Polomalu was tackled by the hair by a guy from behind who might otherwise not have made the tackle.
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