Usually getting tatted up is no big deal. As a matter of fact, it has become quite the norm. But not for Cam Newton. The Carolina Panthers quarterback is famously ink-free. That is until now.
New York artist Bang Bang posted on Instagram that Newton trusted him with doing his first tattoo.
The interesting thing about this news is that former Panthers owner Jerry Richardson infamously told the 2011 #1 draft pick that he didn’t want him having tattoos.
Via: ProFootball Talk
Richardson, who said that Newton “was dressed perfectly” for their meeting, was blunt. “I said, ‘Do you have any tattoos?’” Richardson told Rose. “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.’ . . . .
“We want to keep no tattoos, no piercings, and I think you’ve got a very nice haircut.”
Many saw this as a violation, but Newton honored the request. Since Richardson’s departure we’ve seen a different Cam. He’s growing his hair out. He’s showing his personality on social media. He’s no longer the young quarterback who wants to make everyone else happy. He’s a grown man who cares about staying true to himself and his own happiness. That’s a good thing on and off the field.
(Note: For most of the 2018 season, Newton was statistically playing his best football)
Now the only question is, where’s the tattoo and what is it of? In the picture, Cam’s left hand and what appears to be his left ring finger is bandaged. Maybe he and longtime girlfriend, Kia, got matching ink. I don’t know. I’ll let the social media investigators figure that out. But what I do know is, tatted or not, the freedom to be authentically you is something that will only help Carolina’s QB1.
*Note: Cam Newton has now refuted claims that Jerry Richardson told him he could’t get tattoos*